captnhoy

To pick up the actual extension stamp ? At Jomthien my wife has gone by herself a couple of times just with my passport, no problems.

I try to limit my contact with immigration as much as I can, it's like pulling teeth.

So TRUE! But they are friendly when pulling these teeth right?

As a marine person , I don't have issues with this.

The more regulation the better.

If they can make basic fundamental outlawing of operators ,who ply their trade largely illegally fleecing westerners with deception and criminal activity eg uninsured Jet ski hire etc ...this law would seem to be more in line with reality.

Thailand is not so safe anymore ...this law is in my view a smart move.

And I am a critic of Junta where they seem unjust.

I have no issue with any safety premise. The laws are only as good as the enforcement. Do you think the dive boats that sink so frequently passed a REAL safety inspection? The annual safety inspection for my boat was more about collecting the "survey fee" as they called it.

Speaking from experience, the price of marine electronics in Thailand are usually about double what they sell for in the western world. When quizzed on that, dealers always blame the "import duty". If the duty charged is a high as they say then that is corruption. In any case, prepare for another grab at your funds when you are forced to buy AIS in Thailand because everyone knows we have "too much money". If I still had a boat here I'd weigh anchor. The other thing it reminds me of is that during the 5 years that I did cruise my boat here, the only time I was ever checked for anything was once while at anchor in Chalong. That was just a formality about paperwork and had nothing to do with a safety inspection or even to see if the radio that I bought in Singapore was licensed. So it's a bit like traffic laws IMO - they are on the books but little enforcement is in place.

Huh? Import duties are corruption?

Import duties are not twice the price of the product. Sorry that was not clear for you. The implication since you seem to need it spelled out is that IF the sales shop is paying double the sales price of the product in import duties then they are being overcharged. If true, that would be corruption. What seems more likely though is that sales shops prefer a greatly inflated profit margin and then point the finger at "duties" when questioned about high prices. I have ordered marine electronics online from the US, paid shipping to Thailand and paid the import duty. I still saved half the price over the same product for sale in Thailand. That will not work with items that need to be licensed like radios and radars and probably AIS, stand by on that topic, because if you do not buy the item in Thailand you cannot get the Thai license.

Speaking from experience, the price of marine electronics in Thailand are usually about double what they sell for in the western world. When quizzed on that, dealers always blame the "import duty". If the duty charged is a high as they say then that is corruption. In any case, prepare for another grab at your funds when you are forced to buy AIS in Thailand because everyone knows we have "too much money". If I still had a boat here I'd weigh anchor. The other thing it reminds me of is that during the 5 years that I did cruise my boat here, the only time I was ever checked for anything was once while at anchor in Chalong. That was just a formality about paperwork and had nothing to do with a safety inspection or even to see if the radio that I bought in Singapore was licensed. So it's a bit like traffic laws IMO - they are on the books but little enforcement is in place.

I foolishly thought that a buttoned cargo pocket was safe enough while in transit. Was pickpocketed on a baht bus in Pattaya 8 years ago.

I have 2 dogs. They are the best of friends and entertain each other endlessly. One is 3 and the other is 2. I had to have them neutered because they stopped being friends. Now they are good again. They love food but they love riding in my sidecar motorcycle even more. They each have a trick they do when it's time to eat. One stands up on his hind legs - a stand up not a sit up and the other turns in a full circle at least once maybe 3 times. I never taught them this or required it. The one who goes around looks me in the eye before eating as if to say thanks. The other one just chows down. The one who chows down learned that he can put his paw in his bowl to hold it still when he's down to the last few bites. The other one pushes his arounf with his nose as he licks it clean..

The Thai students in Nakon Nowhere or even Bangkok attending government schools are not the future business leaders or movers and shakers of Thailand. 

 

It could be argued that putting resource of any kind into teaching English to prospective farm workers, labourers, 7/11 shop assistants and armed forces cannon fodder is basically a waste of time.

 

Rest assured that the children of the ruling classes and upper middle classes will be receiving appropriate English lessons from fluent speakers at expensive private schools either in Thailand or abroad.  There are at least 20 Thai students enrolled in my former small town high school in New Zealand , paying big fees for a western education - I'm sure they all come from Nakon Nowhere and are the children of farm labourers.

 

That's just the way the hierarchical system works in Thailand, and the ruling classes (Red/Yellow/Military included) don't want to see that changed any time soon, despite ASEAN.

I think it also could be argued that you are painting with too broad a brush. I know of more than one example of the children from the farmlands who have done additional education and are sought after in today's job market for their technical expertise. Is English a part of that? Somewhat - it did not hurt any. Why not offer every advantage possible to those who are interested? There are still more than enough who will be happy with whatever comes their way.

I'm very happy with TOT ADSL because it's fast enough to suit me, it's been reliable one year into it and there are no data caps. 3BB was just pulled into my neighborhood too so I have that choice if I wanted to switch.

Because the whole fabric of society is corrupt! to make changes now is going to be very difficult. Good luck to them.

"The whole fabric" of what society?

If you find a gang of crooks in New York or London or Sydney, does that

make everyone in the country (the whole fabric of society) corrupt?

Seems like a flaming generalization at best.

I have to agree with clockman. To say it another way, corruption is so widespread and so accepted here even when people are not directly participating. In my dealings here I often see gov't officials allowing Thais to lie about sales prices and reduce taxes. It's all done with a wink and a big smile by all parties. It's a way of life. It's the norm. Having said that, I don't see the "contract holder" as quite the lowlife that many here do. The fact that she cries foul so openly suggests a naievete about her contract and it's validity. I conclude that she may be thinking "Since such dealings are the norm, how can they be wrong?" On the other hand I believe that the officials who "sold her" this contract probably know by the number just exactly which laws they are violating. They do deserve the harshest punishment. We can only hope.

Tourist areas all over the world, like magnets, are plagued with scams, shystering and corruption.

However, common sense tells us that the tourist areas -- whether in Phuket or Perth or Panama,

represent less than 5% of their respective country's population. Just bcoz you may have chosen

to live in one of those low-life areas, please don't paint all of us with your plagues and problems.

The real Thailand (away from the tourist areas) probably has less corruption than your hometown

in farang-land.

I certainly agree with your conclusions about tourists areas. I however do not live in a tourist town, Claiming to know where I live perhaps illustrates how big are your blinders. And I stand by my observations - I'm not painting as some folks on TV are, I'm observing.

Because the whole fabric of society is corrupt! to make changes now is going to be very difficult. Good luck to them.

"The whole fabric" of what society?

If you find a gang of crooks in New York or London or Sydney, does that

make everyone in the country (the whole fabric of society) corrupt?

Seems like a flaming generalization at best.

I have to agree with clockman. To say it another way, corruption is so widespread and so accepted here even when people are not directly participating. In my dealings here I often see gov't officials allowing Thais to lie about sales prices and reduce taxes. It's all done with a wink and a big smile by all parties. It's a way of life. It's the norm. Having said that, I don't see the "contract holder" as quite the lowlife that many here do. The fact that she cries foul so openly suggests a naievete about her contract and it's validity. I conclude that she may be thinking "Since such dealings are the norm, how can they be wrong?" On the other hand I believe that the officials who "sold her" this contract probably know by the number just exactly which laws they are violating. They do deserve the harshest punishment. We can only hope.

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greetings Kini,

from chiang mai, i would recommend heading to cha-am/hua hin, u can google a few fishing trips. a fun trip the cruise/fishing boat. u run a line off the back while cruise does touristy stops in between.

then head south along the coast. there are many fishing village en route to prachuap khiri khan.

check out up close. many fishermen are quite happy to take you.

ban krut to bang saphan. many fishermen and also maybe u could line up with scuba boat if they are slow to head out into deep water

continue south to chumphon, there are many different fishing village aroung here. u may have to ask locals.

then head south/west to rayong and try this district and/or make side trip to burma/myramar. continue south as far as u are comfortable, then head back to gulf side.

so many islands for good fishing also.

when ever u run out of time, head back home en route to chang mai.

bon voyage'n'happy fishin'

Out of Chumpon it is Not Rayong - it is Ranong

I've dabbled in it. Koh Tao was my best paid experience in Thailand. We caught fish doing day trips but not many - 2 or 3 per person would be a good day and that was 7 years ago. The fish were up to 2 kilos each and trevally or similar. Phuket is all fished out. They'll take you out for the day and you might get 2 or 3 baby tuna while they hide in the lee of an island to escape the wind. There are some Burma Banks charters out of Ranong. They only go in high season - Nov through Mar. It costs 24,000 or so per person for 5 days and you can expect 100 kilos of fish or more per person. These can be hard to book as the boats often fill with a group of friends and no room for outsiders. There is some fishing out of Samui but I've not tried it. Judging by the response here the sport must be more popular with Thais than farang. Oh, and I just remembered it is supposed to be good out of Satun - just what I heard, not tried yet.

Neville Brothers Yellow Moon tour Rose Garden Portland Oregon - 1993? With a big full moon.

When will we see a shakeup of the customs dept?

My experience was identical to the OP's, including the driver's license aspect. The person helping us was helpful. The boss of her really unloaded on my GF to which she replied "how am I supposed to know this?". He let her off with a scolding and no fine was mentioned. Hers might seem like a lame question but I fully agree since I renewed my extension of stay in May for the 5th consecutive year and this has never been a topic in that process, recently or in the past. My point being that since this is a requirement and if they were doing their jobs, they would not grant the extension until this requirement was met. But of course the burden is on us to know all the details. The other thing that was really BS and caused much greif was that he refused to provide the certificate of residence unless the transportation office requested it in writing. Fortunately that dept has been there before with this big shot and provided a letter of request.

Says the country that was built on Slavery

How much do you know about the Spanish Inquisition? The British Empire? French Indochina? The Russian Gulags? etc etc etc. This is a shameful practice and the world is watching. You seem to be having a good time pointing fingers and just HAVE to say something rather than have SOMETHING to say. What does that make you? Wise? If you have a better idea about how to address the problem please do enlighten us.

In time we will see if your statement is correct,

WELL SAID! Thanks for your contribution.

I find it mildly amusing that the comments about driving tests are usually made by men who took their driving tests up to 40 years ago in another country. ....and in those days the tests they took were largely a joke.

My driving test in the US was 51 years ago and required a detailed understanding of the rules of the road and adequate driving skills. There was no leniency; you passed or failed based on your ability. I just renewed my Thai license and the only questions that I missed were the ones that had the wrong answer on their 50 question test. The only way I could pass it was to learn the "trick questions". I've never had an accident.

As is true for every bureaucratic topic that I've seen on here, it really depends on where in Thailand you are and who you talk to. I just renewed mine in Ranong 10 days before the expiration date. I only had to pass the color blind and the peripheral vision tests. I did need the letter from Immigration and a certificate of health.

maybe you should "ask the lawyer" here on TV.

It seems to me that not ALL but many of the posts here overlook the fact that one's experience will vary depending upon location and the people behind the counter. I am in the process of TRYING to renew a my one year for a 5 year. I doubt that my experience is the norm. I did start the process 2 weeks early in anticipation of too many hoops. I was not wrong. First, the local immigration folks will not issue the certification of residence without an official written request from the transport dept. OK, that took 3 days. I hand delivered that to immigration. He said 2 days later he would send the doc to transport. (I should have picked it up) It is now one week later and transport claims they still do not have it. However I have seen their organizational skills as they tried to send me away from their offices with someone elses doctor's certificate and i had to remind them to give me back my passport as they claimed they could not read the photocopies. So back to immigration and I have a copy of their doc. Maybe I can report back after today and report on what testing was required. BTW - the licensing guy said to me "Mai pen rai - your license will still be good for one year after expiration". Riiiiight - I'm sure the local BIB will see it that way too. So, see? It all depends on who is helping you and what they pulled out of, umm, thin air for an answer.

A good example of why people should rent and not buy. If you owned the place it would not be as easy for you to just move out.

Maybe if you buy a Condo in a shit hole somewhere... What working class local Thai is going to be able to rent in a place where the monthly rent is from 20,000 Baht a month and higher ? none.

The OP must be living in a total dump if he's actually renting in the same complex that a local soldier can afford.

If you can't afford to pay a measly 600 dollars a month to rent in a proper place.. then why are you complaining?

http://www.expat-condos.com/view-talay-condos-2-9.html

Rent: 15,000 - 21,000 Baht

Ve741 - so typical of the never ending pissing contest that is TV - now it's the OP's fault. Too bad he can't take it up with YOU! Weasel.

Considering that OP has no clue what was said, which OP confirmed, what is the point of this thread?

to give you something to do perhaps?