d0om4gloom

The solution, if you really must have speed, is to get a 1MB Fiber Optic line dedicated to you. It costs a lot per month (15.000 Baht/mo) but it is worth it.

This is what you get during the busy time of the day when testing Seattle from here. Other times usually come out at 5-10MB/sec down and 1MB/sec up;

As i've just posted, it makes not a jot of difference what 'access' speed you buy into the local ISP unless all your after is Thai/Asia websites.

As for the other poster, no Thailand data is not monitored

I don't really think it will be a significant speed improvement as it is claimed because dinosaur providers such as TOT hardly use the CAT-IIG. They want to save costs and get most of their bandwidth from TM. They will tap into it over there probably.

The reason why I state it is that overall speeds to the USA are very reasonable but speeds and connectivity to EUROPE is a complete DISASTER. Instead of adding more and more bandwidth to the USA it would make more sense to double the bandwidth to Europe instead.

That in itself will increase the speed to the USA as well as now 70% of all traffic to Europe is passing through the USA which makes it enormeously slow. Think of 500 ms instead of 200ms.

It would also be good to instead have a few technicians who at least know the basics of routing data around the world.

Often packets destined for the USA traverse the European backbone, while packets for Europe pass through the US. Absolutely ridiculous. I have sent them already many emails about it but as with everything in the CAT and TOT dinosaur companies... nothing happens and not even a reply is sent back even though the emails have a delivery report.

Must have some real geniuses working over there.....

I agree to comments before, CAT to Europe is a disaster. For the last week its been worthless from about 5pm thro 2am. However, the truth is that its not CAT, its their peering partners that provides the international bandwidth.

As for delay, thats really not the issue with most internet applications or indeed if your just browsing. The real problem here is that the international bandwidth to Europe is so full that severe packet loss occurs. Packets are dropped because the router interface queues on the international links are so full they overflow. Your browser sits waiting for a TCP ack which never arrives. Eventually it retries but if you loose the retry your waiting even longer until eventually the whole connection fails. I actually build international backbone for a certain ISP (non Thai provider i'm afraid) and have good visability of whats going on.

This new bandwidth to USA will not suddenly be available to everyone but if we're lucky it may relieve some of the pressure on us all. Potentially better routing to west coast USA might relieve relieve pressure in the Europe direction if some of the ISPs introduce the new route in their networks where they might not have one today. However, be aware that the vast majority of the bandwidth will actually be used in providing private networks, corporate connections etc. Only a small amount will ultimately get carved out for backbone internet connections.

For those that dont understand the difference between Delay and Bandwidth: When you have high delay you can add bandwidth to allow more users to do the same thing but each one of them will never work any faster as the delay remains unchanged. In contrast, when you dont have enough bandwidth, everyone grinds to a halt as the quantity of data cannot be sent over the bandwidth available - hence why if you use the network at 3am when few people are on it you get great service. Note also, most of the ISPs in Thailand have great in-country service, they all have the same international bandwidth problem though - not really surprising given thats the most expensive part to provide.

I think that is their intention. The powers that be are very scared of the Internet as a medium that people can express their views on freely without censorship. When challenged about the draconian Computer Crimes Act they like to pretend that the main justification is to protect children from pornography. That is why it is very important for them to have prosecutions like this, even though they probably enjoy looking at pornography themselves and couldn't care less about the rights of the girl who was depicted.

Arkady, a lot of supositions in there but generally i agree. Its not limited to Thailand though, the whole world has been entering a new period of limiting our freedoms and freedom of speech since 2001 especially. Your tracked, your pictured, your bank accounts are monitored, your prosecuted when you step out of line. Oh and make sure your views are politically correct as well !

Having siad that, I do feel a forum owner is responsible for policing content posted although demostrating a strong policy, with user reporting and enforcement should be enough. Going to prison for someone else's misdemeanor is too harsh if the owner is making every effort to ensure that policy is enforced.

I've never seen nor heard of a tourist refused visa or entry to Thailand.

Now as for all you long stayers that aren't actually tourists at all, just what exactly is wrong with going back to your own country just once a year to apply for a new O visa ? Oh is the cost of the flight too much - tuff !

If it were as hard for farangs to come to Thailand as it is for Thais to go to Farangland then you might have something to moan about. In the meantime, consider yourselves lucky this is a one embassy policy only.

Correct, you cant get back to back tourist visas because you stop being a tourist and instead start becoming resident - remember anything greater than 6 months in the UK affects tax especially and there's international law to consider around your domeciled status after 6 months.

If your friends have been living together for 4 years then she'll actually qualify for a spousal visa which allows her to work as well. They would need to prove that the relationship is like a marriage in every way and need to prove the duration of it also. Before others shoot this suggestion down, go read the uk immigration/visa site.

Lastly of course, if the relationship isn't truly 4 years old, then there's two realistic alternatives : a) Get a marriage visa - this i believe allows 2 years in the uk but no work until after the marriage and further resulting visas granted or Wait 6 months and apply for another tourist visa but remember she does need to be seen as a tourist and not just an adhoc resident.

Yeah, its a real pain to negotiate the various visa rules when your in a real relationship especially when you consider that in the UK just a 6 month joint living arrangement is deemed a common law marriage ! Where's the sense in that i dont know. The trouble is there's no real advisory service either - you cant go and discuss what would be allowed so its largely a case of do your research, then apply and hope.

And looking at other country's how often do you hear of day time gun gang wars in the city center?

I think it wouldn't take long to find a few news stories of much the same thing and then of course you forget the recent bombings in Jakarta. My point is: stop knocking Thailand at every opportunity, despite today events its still quite safe.

Another blow for the tourism industry ,

Right now a lot of Scandinavians start their vacation to Thailand , and most of them goto Phuket.

Maybe not for long.

Australians already are very wary of Phuket, British wary because of the airport extortion case, then Danish just the other day.

It seems Thailand seems to make some kind of negative news on monthly basis where the main story is about either extortion of foreigners or how unsafe the country is.

Keep it up Thailand!

Oh come on. Thailand is as safe as most places in the world if not safer. Wait a year or two until the depression has bitten into every urban centre in the world and then you'll see what trouble is ! Stop moaning about Thailand and enjoy the amusing posts earlier in this thread.

Is it possible to open a bank account and a credit card account under a Non-O visa? As most banks are implying that a work permit is required. I was wondering how people with a Non-O are able and if they can open such accounts.

Andy

Bank account yes and web based virtual credit card linked to the balance in your account also yes.

Get Siam Commercial Bank - 2 accounts and internet banking. Why ? because you use one card but keep only a limited balance in that account. You can transfer online and by ATM. By far the easiest and best online of the main banks.

Get Kasikorn Bank (Green one) and get their webcard. Apply for account (again get two) and then aply for their webcard. Totally virtual but free and up to Bt100k at a time.Linked to your balance on the account so again, the two accounts mean you can transfer.

With these banks and Bangkok Bank and a couple of others, you can transfer, instantly, up to 50k between banks on the net and up to 100k a day. Very useful.

Siam Commercial is the best for things like paying bills and topping up your mobile (extra credit free).

All accounts offer debit cards which cost about Bt300 and then Bt100 a year I think.

Get back if you need any further information.

Great post. Thanks for the info and good thinking on the 2 account approach

Thailand airfare war hots up

-- thaivisa.com 2009-07-16

How many times have we heard this now? Airaisa is by far the cheapest but you have to fly via Kuala Lumpur.

People contact me want to saying they book my condos and will have a look at flights, you never hear from them again. So i tried to book a cheap from UK Thaiair over £1000 evaair £800. I came evaair a direct fight 2 years ago for £340. Next time I go to the UK it's airasia, anyone else have any suggestions, Denis.

This is want i have put on my add TRYING the rent my condos out.

Many people have asked about Flights, at the moment the cheapest way seems to be airasia there is a stop at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You then board the flight to Bangkok which you may have to book separately, but the total fare can be as low as £370 return from the U.K. Other airlines are evaair, emirates and jetair

I just flew British Airways LHR-BKK Return - out with only 2 days notice and the return easter next year (so super high season) and i got it for £340 inc taxes. You wont beat that on air asia !!!

Now, has anyone tried the new AA route to KL-London ? What seat space do you get and is there any entertainment. Knowing how small the seat space is on their short haul flights i'm loath to try longhaul unless there is realistic space for someone with long legs. Can anyone advise - i cant see details on their site.

8k pound is a massive amount! They should have fought it if they were innocent, why did they pay? did they steal it? giving in to these scams/extotions will make it continue! if you get in trouble you call your embassy and take it from there, REMEMBER INNOCENT UNTILL PROVEN GUILTY. Things need to change in Thailand

I can tell you live in the real world. Not ! Hope it never happens to you or you'll have been 6 months in prison before the embassy even get around to visiting you - after all the story does state the embassy would do no more than refer you to a lawyer. Things need to change ion many countries of the world, at least this couple are doing what they can to protect others from the same fate...and it seems there arte many

This is bad news. I'm just about to give the idiots 500Bt more each month to "upgrade" from Indy to Premier.

Sometimes you know you are doing something stupid, but you just can't stop yourself on the off-chance that what you are doing may actually pay off.

Am I the only one with proof that Indy has the same speed as premier? Anybody can compare and has experience with BOTH?

I'm quite sure this is to do with internet peering arrangements rather than the local service. It seems to me that just about every Thai ISP has problems in the evening through until early hours. If you do your tests to the BKK server do you get better results ? If so then forget whether its indy or premier, the problem is international bandwidth over the various peering points.

I am not so sure if these girls are 100% innocent.

Are you kidding ?

These girls would have been manipulated for someone else's profit, would have been very young, totally naive and not had a clue about what was to happen to them. How the hel_l do you think trafficers operate ?

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If Thailand has problems, and Thailand wishes to address them in certain ways.

I think it is fair to let them.

All countries that I know of, is trying to keep track of

their foreigners..

Glegolo

Really ?? name any modern / first world country that has to report foriegners details checking into a hotel ??

USA, UK, Most of Europe, Australia. Have you never travelled to any of these countries ? Surely if you had you would have seen the standard statements you have to make on your entry docs about where you'll be staying (usa doesn't let you in unless you have first 3 mights booked now and register on their site in advance) not least the standard form any hotel will present you with that asks for you to conplete country of residence and passport number.

Do you really think that what Thailand is doing is so different from every other country in the world ? That is: progressively restricting our freedoms and privacy ? Now, on the other side, what can the authorities really do with these thousands of submissions every day other than reference a computer search list for matchs against certain criteria. Ultimately there's no more to this than record keeping incase you pop up doing something illegal in future.

I dissaprove of these invasions globally but I respect the Thais right to implement it.

<br /><br />I will invest € 25.000 EUR man same as 1.200.000 Bath. A internet cafe will get 15.000b a month UP and my other investment which not everyone has to know will generate 25.000b up a month.<br /><br />30.000b a month will not be too much, get real.<br />

Its interesting the lengths that some people have to go to / have gone to but i agree with most of whats been said. One thing that would add to your case is if you took her somewhere else first - a weekend in Cambodia/Malaysia etc - would show she's left Thailand before

When my girlfriend went to UK on 6 month tourist visa last year we just followed the principles: be truthful and transparent, show why she's going, show that she wont work illegally and has money to support her stay (that was demonstrated by my own bank account and income) and lastly but most importantly demonstrate she'll return to thailand - that could be she has a job to come back to, family,a busines, property or whatever will give them reason to believe she WILL return.

We sailed through the visa application, and telephone interview . in the interview she knew enough about me and my family to demonstrate we are in a real relationship and she was totally believeable why she wanted to go etc etc.

Now the best part was that on the back of the UK visa we were able to get a USA visa for a two week holiday in florida - returning to uk after the holiday. She got this visa in Thailand before she left Thailand for the UK and again sailed though.

Be prepared for questions on arriving in the UK also - my gf was interviewed for 3/4 hour while they continually asked similar questions in diofferent ways to try and catch her out (mostly work related or are we going to get married - remember thats a different visa so the answer was a definate NO !). Again, she was on the level and therefore her answers were believeable and she was eventually allowed though.

When we did go to USA, we passed throught both USA immigration and UK immigration on our return without any problem. The first entry is always the hardest !

I am Patong based and suffering the problem. I think its not the local connection but something in the tower or the towers uplinks. I see huge problems with oversubscription in the evenings as well.

In Phuket (patong) my experience of the cat cdma service is that it has been deteriorating all year - typically what I would associate with oversubscription. It can be seen this way as it works during the day but deteriorates badly in the evening. Last night i was monitoring 8% packet loss - at this level the service is next to useless.

You can see response times go right out as well. In general, this is normally due to packets queueing in the network - once the queue buffer is full you get drops, hence the packet loss. Packets tend to only queue in the core when there isn't enough core bandwidth. Your access speed should be the slowest connection in your end-end session but dont forget uplinks will be oversubscribed as standard - you'll have all heard its typically 20:1 on private users broadband but i dont know CATs ratios. Business level is normally 10:1 or less but i dont think CAT offer a business level CDMA service. This sort of thing should be manged through their network management utilisation tools so CAT would should about bandwidth issues and exactly where they lie.

Regarding the dropping issue, I have monitored this also. It looks very much like a device (or card within a device) crashing and reloading. This may or may not be load related so i wont offer an opinion on that. When I've phoned CAT I've never got anywhere trying to understand what is going on so i still experience the problem on a regular basis.

Dont confuse the two issues - in a browser, packet loss and connection problems might look very similar. You have to use other tools to understand where the problem is. You may have PC problems but there's plenty of users publicly complaining of a problem so draw your opionion as you see fit relavent to your location. In your in the north you wont have the same problem as someone in the south.

Load problems can exist on both your local uplinks and/or the inter-isp connections. It isn't fair to me comment where CATs problems are on this forum suffice to say I build core internet links across the world and know what i'm talking about.

My personal opinion is that the CAT CDMA service is in need of further investment but there are no news articles i could find to say whether that is or is not going to be forthcoming. I'd be interested if anyone has seen any news articles as i think many service providers in Thailand are much the same so I'd pick the one who is investing most :-)