reallyok

Whilst Suvarnanbhumi is the worst and most blatant in terms of airport scams Soekarno-Hatta is not entirely problem free either.

And for discourteous airport security people New Zealand has got to take the award for being the worst. So bad that I think that they recruited their staff from the Gestapo and SS

Did you notice any Indians there ?.................i did.

An honest and thorough Thai Crackdown is something like being half pregnant.................It just cannot happen !

Whats this ?..........Planned transfer..................................Sack em !

Illegal taxi drivers .................................. Conviscate the car !

Illegal tour guides .................................. Bang em Up !

Baggage porters touting ................................... Sack em . one job at a time !

Until these things happen there will be no change, the workers have to make their minds up wether they want a secure honest job or not.

All is good !

I went to Royal Thai Consul at Wooloongabba, Brisbane today (8th sept), told them what i thought i wanted.

They were very helpful and friendly. Fifteen minutes later i was out with a 4x90 day re-entry visa, virtually giving me 15 months.

It cost me $A210 for the visa plus $A15 for the photos, showed them my valid passport and bank statements.

Thats it ! too easy. And by the way, she said that i could enter on a one way ticket.

Thanks fella's.

I know that i have to declare that amount to Aussie customs....no worries.

However am wondering..

1). Will i have any problems on entry if i just say nothing.

2). Will the rate be of any benifit by changing $A to Thai Bhat.

From experience i think that it would cost too much to transfer via Western Union.

I suppose i could use Travelex Cash Passport linked to my Commonwealth Acct. With this i can withdraw up to $A6,000 per 24 hrs ($A3.75. per withdrawal).

Thanks for any help so my next question will be , where to buy the car, probably Honda CRV.

Its OK! i went to Thai Consulate in Brisbane today (08/09/2009) and they said that i will not have to declare such a small ??? amount.

In New Zealand, they're begging for doctors. The 'brain drain' has hit. Not much money, but lots of opportunity.

But they will still need a 7.0 score in IELTS.

How about trying the Queensland State Health department (Aust). They claim to be recruiting doctors from overseas and believe me the climate and lifestyle is far better than anything that NZ can offer !

It's good to see Abhisit pushing back for a change. We need to see more pushing back by Abhisit. Maybe some rhetorical shoving too. Abhisit rhetorically has now put Thaksin on the spot. Yes, put the heat and onus on Thaksin to come back to face justice, which Thaksin would never do.

Thaksin's predictable response to Abhisit is that he can't get justice in the Thai courts. Well once someone such as Thaksin starts trashing the courts of his country who could have confidence in the rule of law in the country? Given that Thaksin and his apologists are trying to trash the Thai Judiciary, suggesting if they returned to power they would install their own judges, what credibilty would the impartial rule of law have?

What national (or international) legitimacy could Thaksin have, especially as the exhumed leader of Thailand?

Absolutely none as the trashing of the Thai courts by Thaksin and his prospering apologists around here destroy any hope of the rule of law.

Does Abhisit honestly believe that Thaksin would get justice if he returned. That idea is about as silly as an ashtray on a Harley.

I have to say here and now, i dont believe it Mr Abhisit! and neither do you.

maybe thaksin can move to england or the u.s. and

have his own reality tv show

They should put this guy on an island on water and bread, cause of him and his red shirts, Thailand tourisme is way down and we loose a lot of income

Yeh ! its obvious that you think that we need the Yellow shirts out at 'Swampy' again to really sort things out , once and for ever !!

I am surprised they didn't block it for contempt of court. Thaksin apparently criticised the Supreme Court for convicting him for the trivial matter of giving spousal consent to his wife's land purchase from a state agency in a rigged auction at an artificial low price when he was prime minister. Under Thai law criticising a court decision is for better or worse a criminal offence.

Arkady .......you sure are confused if thats what you really believe.

However its not too late to go back and study the whole situation from the start, make your own mind up and not let the propaganda people do it for you.......................Good luck !

I am retired with pension and reasonal bank balance. Going to Thailand in november, hopefully for 12 months or more.

Will need to leave and return a few times. Which visa do i need and how many times can i re-enter.

What documentation etc do i require before fronting to the Brisbane Thai Consulate.

Any good advice gratefully recieved.

Thanks to all.

Just search for the story on thaivisa. Previously the case was lost in the House of Lords and apparently the ruling will never be changed. When living abroad, your pension remains the same as the day you left the UK and NEVER increases.

Hi

I think you are right, it is UNLIKELY to change with the amount of tax fraud in the UK and a decreasing workforce paying into 'the club'

I believe Civil Servants don't have their pensions frozen even when they are expats, as they are seen as have helped the community during their working career . A teacher appealed to be treated the same as them and won some years ago.

Dave(disgruntled future UK pensioner)

Whereas those of us who paid tax, or created businesses and new jobs by finding & satisfying previously-unmet needs or wants, have of course done nothing to improve or help the country through our efforts.

Such an incentive, don't you think, to risk your wealth & previous livelihood, by having a go & starting-up something new. Your reward is, to pay for the index-linked pensions, of former government-employees, wherever they may live.

On a point of accuracy, there are many countries abroad, where your pension does continue to increase as normal. But Thailand isn't one of them. So we're really being punished, for being so very unpatriotic, as to go and live in a country which isn't on their little list. So much for fairness or equal-treatment !

But at least they didn't build a wall, to keep us in, and prevent our leaving !

Ricardo (another miffed future UK pensioner)

Well i did 9.5 yrs in RN including last 6 mths of Korean war, did'nt come across any civil servants in my "forward observation unit" . Pension frozen when i left UK in 73 just about buys me 1 doz VB stubbies WOW! thanks Gt Britain.

Some time back I read a thread regarding the uk state pension. I understand that anyone living in Thailand would not qualify for any yearly increases.

The case ,I believe ,was heard and lost in the european courts.

Is there any appeal ongoing and how can I get more information regarding this case?

Thanks in advance.4.Real

Just search for the story on thaivisa. Previously the case was lost in the House of Lords and apparently the ruling will never be changed. When living abroad, your pension remains the same as the day you left the UK and NEVER increases.

Sure thing, i left UK in '73 and now am getting around GPB19.50 per week. Big deal, served 7 yrs in RN plus 2.5 years boys time.

However the Aussie govt makes it up to something reasonable although in my opinion , they shoud'nt have to.

Grrrrrrrr bloody pommie govt., i should try to come back as an illegal !

I have said it before, and will say it again! The wording is................"Crackdown on Foreign business" not "Crackdown on Falang business" .

And................................Oh dear !!! not another "Crackdown".

Its about time this government did something real for the country and its underprivilaged population and stopped strutting about like the cockbird in the chicken pen.

These incessant "Crackdowns" are utterly stupid, designed to convince the population that they are being looked after, when its really those in power who are being looked after.

thaksin should show up...his followers think he walks on water

Bull dust! he's not that good , he actually sinks down to his ankles.

Vindication for imposing the security measures. Obviously the reds want a violent revolution and they realized they were not ready to resist the new security measures. They could have had a PEACEFUL rally. That is clearly not what they wanted. Kudos to Abhisit for restraint before, but increased resistance in view of the reality of what these reds are REALLY all about (and it ain't democracy).

I disagree , you fool !

Of course they want a peaceful rally, but they realise that they are being 'set up' with all those security troops.

It is obvious that there will be some bad buggers seeded into the crowd to cause trouble, this will bring in the security and bingo! just what the government are looking for..........................WAKE UP! the Redshirts have.

You have been out maneouvered again!

Posts against the royal family, posts about moderation, and posts that quote such will continue disappearing. Forum rules.

Dear Moderator,

Please please just close out these endless negative forums. Might I suggest you advise all these expats to please just enjoy life and count their blessing or simply just go, that's it, go, go home. Thank you.

alaninkarachi.................yet another one opposed to freedom of speech.

Please mod don't let these hypocrites take over.

It is interesting to note that around the world, libel and slander do carry prison sentences in multiple places and essentially based on my understanding of what was said in her case, there might be scope to consider those aspects; one might further consider whether it is appropriate to be saying and whipping up emotions in a mob situation. From McLibel to the various cases involving alleged claims and subsequent retractions in the english media for celebrities, business people and state figures, a person cannot just wander around the world spouting mistruths and there is law to protect them for this.

thank you for this. So it seems that her speech, even if said in other countries about say the Queen(in britain) or Obama (in Usa)would also get her a long jail sentence (again I have no idea what she said).

18 years is far too lenient.

Yet another brainless berk ! ( 18 yrs far too lenient)

The dark Middle Ages in a country, which would like to be in the 21st century.

We all know that LM crimes are used to silence political opponents and the punishment is in no relationship to the "crime", especially in view what you get e.g. for slamming your Benz into the crowd and KILL people.

Shame, shame, shame!!

Yes , i agree with what you are saying. However it might be a good law if it is properly used.

But NO! as i see it the ruling party frivolously use and manipulate it to maintain their power over any opposition members they wish. I ask you, how many members of the ruling government have been charged with this offense ?

Not many i bet.

One day maybe all those who have used this law for their own political benifit will have to "pay the piper".....enough said !

I started the original thread and yes im a Brit yes i was a frequent visitor to patong yes i like a drink and have fun i have read the post's and it sickens me that we brits are slagged off a piss head whoremongering trouble makers. All the so called brits that live in the LOS are i believe not brits but people jumping on the brit bashing wagon. Lets just have a quick think here where was the beer mat thief from in patong dont remember a brit or brits being chased down the beach rd. Where was the guy from just nicked at swampy with the ecstasy stashed in his undies from, where were the 2 prisoners just executed from need i go on. The tread was about safety not brit bashing, to say we ride about drunk is totally arrogance is it not the fact that most fatalities are caused by locals riding on the wrong side of the road sometimes coming straight at you or the fact the locals ride about at night without lights on or the truck drivers driving vehicles with defective brake's then running off when there is an accident, i could go on and on. These are facts not fiction, was it not the governor of phuket said we get more trouble and bad behaviour from the aussie tourists. Not many brits mentioned there was there. How many young brits in the last year have comitted ( suicide) from throwing themselves from balconies, not a single 1 of you that live there in phuket have mentioned your gun murders in the last 2 monthes, so its ok to have a shootout in a resort full of tourists. or take out 3 men sat having a beer. is Thailand dangerouse ask the guy in phi phi who was drugged and robbed last week. Incidently there with his wife not a brit lager lout.

"more trouble from Aussie tourists"....................yeh ! i remember her, she hit the world headlines, what a shame for Phuket bars !

Actually, when I read the article it relates Thailand risks versus other countries risks as collected by the British government. It would be logical to assume that visitors of other nationalities are exposed to the same risks and would experience similar death/accident rates. So I do not think it is fair to focus on British visitors only, without comparative numbers for other nationalities.

What I do think is that vacationers are escaping their homeland and all that is associated with highly structured societies: Rules, rules, rules! They arrive in Thailand and all the rules disappear and they act like kids in a candy store. I do not blame the Thai Police, for lack of traffic enforcement, in many countries there are far less cops per kilometer of road than in Thailand, but people behave! It is illegal in Thailand to drive a motorcycle without a motorcycle driver's license. Yet shops rent motorcycles to tourist who are not trained to drive motorcycles. Police should confiscate the rental bikes for 2 months, if drivers are found not to have the appropriate license, which would help the shop owners be more responsible. And renters should use their common sense; most are far more educated and informed than the locals. I would hazard a guess that 95% of visitors know that M/C are dangerous, that drunk driving is illegal for good reason, that helmets are legislated in their home countries for very good reason too. What make all visitors think that the pavement is softer, the alcohol weaker and their heads are harder in Thailand? Good grief.

Tourists to need to be policed away as they are at home. I can see the protests of "Harassment" if Thai police started dishing out fines to all tourists. What would help is "soft" policing (as opposed to lackadaisical or militant which seem to be the two extremes today). Police can stop this practice without levying fines to tourists, in a nice friendly way. Police and put the thumbscrews to businesses profiting renting bikes while totally disregarding the laws. Sure this is idealist view and likely never to happen. The sad part is, a little common sense on the part of visitors, and a little dissuasion by the police is all that is needed to dramatically improve the vacation experience and safety of tourists from all countries.

Thailand is so far down the track of "no return" that it just ain't gonna happen...............Have you ever seen 4 young kids riding a motorbike to school, no helmets and on the opposite side of the road to traffic .

I don't think that the Thai police even see anything wrong......... till tea money day comes around.

I am an American Guy, I have lived in Thailand 5 years, Brittan 6 months, Spain a month and France a month, the British behavior while on holiday is outrageous. I fully understand the Spanish Government arresting them repeatedly, if not in bulk and deporting them, Drunk and fighting every night in the pubs, France too. There were bars in France where I couldn't get a drink until I showed my passport to prove I was not British. Thailand is a little further, we can hope only the somewhat more responsible Britts get that far from home, that they might not still be somewhat special, I have no doubt. Behave yourselves! English speakers around the world suffer the consequences of what U do on Holiday!

Of course your right about Spain but it is mostly the young that get inebriated and start fighting, but we are talking about Thailand and some people may question the part americans played in making Thailand what it is today while they were here on R and R IN THE 60s/70s there are irresponsible people from every country.

If the police enforced the law in regards to wearing a crash helmet then possibly the average number of people killed each year would drop from the 13,870 that it averages each year and along with teaching kids + adults how to drive and actually to think ahead further than the vehicle in front and explain what anticipation actually means and the benefit to all of using it, I suspect the majority of m/cycle accidents involve a car/truck/lorry.

Hey c'mon ! the police on Samui do enforce the crash helmet rule...............on tea money days !

Although i always wear mine i do keep a lookout for the days when the locals happen to have theirs on

However its the falang holidaymaker who usually get caught especially when the bike hirer does'nt bother to offer them a helmet.

OMG!!! I hope those rotten greedy foreigners don't take all that beachfront land home with them, cause there'll be nowhere to swim.

they used to have a direct flight to Brisbane about 4 years ago before they changed it to the Sydney stop over on the way back and the impossible departure times. 8am departure from Swampy (5am leave Hotel in BKK) with a Brisbane arrival at 11pm). We did that once and on that flight my partner had a bug in his food, no more TG after that. Along comes Air Asia with direct flight from the Gold Coast to KL, business class cheaper than cattle class on TG, closer to my home in OZ, a short stop in KL and directly to Phuket or any other SE Asia destination. Bye bye TG, after having been a loyal customer for many years they lost me for ever.

The Air Asia knockers wil come out of the woodwork again, but I have ever had a delayed flight, I obay their rules, the food is no worse than other airlines and so far bug free.

Dont be so naive and rediculus..........how do you know that you caught the bug from Thai Air food, perhaps the partner does not wash his hands after tiolet in the terminal...........cccccccmm on !!!!

Is that 5 flights a week? what time departure I wonder? would suit me, fly direct to brisbane, avoiding that shitfight in sydney, keep me posted .

regards songhklasid.

Some flight time info in here http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2009/08/thai...sydney-service/

My flight on 21st october is scheduled to leave Brisbane to Bangkok at 11.59pm arr 0600am., its also a 777-300 according to my details but my agent says that it "might' change as they have not recieved any new schedules as yet !

Nothing like planning ahead is there?

Whilst slightly off topic, I thought I would tell you my humerous little story about my septic system becoming full the other day & I was like OMG what are we going to do?

The GF's father attended to the systems immediate need to have the sewerage re-enter the house via the toilet (as not much <deleted> needs to flow to overrun a squat toilet).

The very next morning a little man came walking along the soi yelling out in thai, how he would like to suck septic systems clean. The father then entered into serious negotiations to have our system emptied, securing a price of 600 baht. The sucked the system clean, with the father supervising & hosing the septic down & have that sludge removed as well .

Absolutely amazing stuff, I would of paid 6,000 baht to have that baby cleared and there was no way I would of been supervising the work. Its a serious business this crap removal service & there must have been at least 8 thai guys riding ontop of the poo truck as it left the soi. <deleted>?

The most amazing thing about Thai septic cleaning vacuum trucks is that the driver is always called Terdsak.

And he happily sits on top of the shit cart.

I always thought that wanking was associated with going blind, now im really worried i could also get flu because of it.

Sportsmen having sex before major sporting events is meant to affect their onfield performance, so i heard down the pub.

Yehhh and it causes hair to grow in the palm of your hands !! thats real bad for professional card players, so beware .