StatlerandWaldorf

Check out the following link, it should have all the information you need to get started. There is an email address where you can contact them if you have any further questions but the child is eligible for a U.K passport, you just need to make sure you have all the documentation required.

https://www.gov.uk/government/world-location-news/changes-to-british-passport-services-in-thailand--2

And all this is part of the juntas plan for bringing happiness to the people...

they still claim that prices have not gone up the past years.....

45 Baht increase on a monthly card, that is 540 Baht for a year or one day salary lost.... (not the low one but average)

lets see how it fans out when it suddenly dawns on people... it usually takes some time

Somebody needs some attitude adjustment. In Thailand, just because everything has become more expensive does not equate to a higher cost of living. APPARENTLY!

Successive Governments have harped on about the cost of living not increasing, yet I see regular increases in the cost of everyday items, the only thing that has not increased is the cost of plastic bags, they are still free with even the smallest purchase. They are then reused very efficiently to decorate the streets and countryside.

My wife always lights candles and incense sticks and places them on her little wooden shrine, on our wood laminate floor before going to bed. Obviously completely oblivious to the fire risk.

When I am here, I make sure that everything is extinguished before going to sleep, but when I am travelling? Who knows!

Was the student in an English class or was it just a random student ?

anyone have a link to the " English Delivery by Chris program "

there seems more to this story that is not posted.....

Come to your own conclusions about this guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAjDbj0gmrg

Personally I think that this is just typical BDTV (Brain Dead T.V) which seems to be prevalent on T.V here.

Relax everyone, it is only another new law. If anyone actually bothered to obey ANY laws then it may be worth getting agitated about.

I think it was the South Korean coach of the Thai national Taikwondo team who said "Thais have no discipline", I do find it difficult to disagree with him.

From other people's experiences it seems like I was unlucky on this occasion. In response to the easy pass comments, yes, I also use easy pass, unfortunately they are unable to get their dung together enough to have a system that works across Bangkok and out on the 7 towards Chon Buri. Having said that, I have noticed they have started to install some easy pass lanes which are not open yet, perhaps in the near future we can have one system that works for all. I hope so, as paying cash is really not necessary in this day and age.

I just wanted to know, in other people's experience if this is a common occurrence?

I was short changed today at the Paentong toll booth between Bangkok and Pattaya, I was going to say it is my fault for not checking my change, but NO, it is not my fault. It is my belief that the attendant deliberately short changed me. The toll was B30 and I had nothing smaller than a 1,000 so I handed it over, she handed back the change with the rather oversized receipt on top. Yes, I should have counted the change but I was in a bit of a hurry so I glanced under the receipt, saw a 500 and some 100's and was on my way. Upon discarding the receipt (on the floor of my car, not out the window like everyone else seems to do), I noticed the change was B200 short, too late to go back now.

So, I am wondering about which of the following apply?

1. This is a normal scam perpetrated on people who they believe will not bother to check their change?

2. The toll booth staff are incapable of counting out the change?

3. 1+2

Either way, it is a little worrying. But in all seriousness, do check your change, don't be an idiot like I was and assume honesty/a basic ability to count.

I was not born cynical, the world has made me that way.

I have personal experience of this scam, twice over the past few months a complete stranger (female in both cases) approached my wife (obviously because they see she is with a foreigner) and asked her to translate some SMS messages. A little background, both ladies in question were a little older (mid to late 30's) and not what you would traditionally call beautiful.

In the most recent incident my wife gave me the phone to read the messages, the lady in question told me the guy claimed to be English and she had a picture of someone who looked like they could well be English. The picture of course proves nothing.

The story is something like this: They met on the internet and the guy increasingly became what the Thais would call 'sweet mouth' over a period of a number of weeks. Then he starts mentioning about his father who died and left him a large sum of money (£3.? million) but he needs to pay the lawyer fees before the money can be released. ding ding ding, anyone hear alarm bells?

He started off asking for quite a large sum (around £6,000) then clearly she has told him she does not have that much and he gradually reduced the sum by saying he had managed to borrow money from friends so he just needs the balance to release the funds and then they can be together etc. etc.

What stood out to me (as a native English speaker) was that although the English was quite good and the guy was quite eloquent, he made some glaring mistakes which made him stand out as being of African origin, probably Nigerian. The errors? The one that stood out the most to me was the use of 'd' instead of 'the'. Having met and interacted with people from parts of Africa in the past, and of course being a native English speaker this was quite obvious to me, but for a Thai with limited English, there is no way they would pick up on this.

I scanned the sms's very fast and told her immediately that he is a scammer and she should cease all contact. I don't think she believed me at first as I read the messages so quickly. English is very easy to speed read, I think due to the nature of Thai writing speed reading is not possible so I understand her reservations.

I did have to explain, through my wife the reasons behind my conclusion and she turned out to be grateful for the advice, whether she followed it or not, I have no idea, but I hope she did. She did not look like she was wealthy and I see no reason why I should allow this woman to be scammed by some unworthy scumbag if I have it within my power to prevent it.

I know there are many scams by Thai women on unsuspecting gullible foreigners, but that does not make it right for others prey on innocent lonely women here. Yes the women who have scammed foreigners do deserve all they get, but they are a small minority, so I do not think we should seek pleasure in the misfortune of these ladies that are scammed just because some, of the same gender and nationality have scammed foreigners.

If I took this attitude, I would hate all Brits. I have met some serious a-hole Brits here, but I accept that not all are the same based on nationality, colour, religion etc.

In case anyone thinks I am singling out Brits for a bashing, I have 2 points to note. 1. I am British myself. 2. There are a-holes everywhere in every country, it is just unfortunate that Thailand tends to attract a disproportionately high percentage of them.

And that's all i've got to say about that.

Excuse any basic grammatical errors, I simply cannot be bothered to proofread my post.

To expand on what Brewster said (he is correct by the way), you can apply for the child's passport with the translated copy of birth certificate which can be done on the 1st floor (1 floor up) of the building opposite the embassy with the Homepro in it, can't remember the name.

As for registering the birth with the U.K. As stated, this is not required, if you do then you will get a form showing the registration and the child is then registered with the registrar of births and deaths in the U.K. This registration form can be used in place of a birth certificate in the U.K. If you do not have it and it is required for something in the U.K then your child must have a translated certified copy of the Thai birth certificate.

For me, my Son is registered (8 years ago), my Daughter (2 years old), not yet but I will plan to do so just so if we/they decide to live in the U.K in the future it makes things just a little easier for them.

BTW. If you apply for your child's passport you can go alone to do it, you are not required for your child to go with you. Having been through the process myself, I would suggest not taking a small child with you anyway, the VFS office is not a nice place for an adult, let alone a child. The security staff, I found to be bordering on rude and unhelpful.

eg. I was carrying my 1 year old and all the paperwork and they said I must switch my phone off before entering, no problem, I was struggling to get my phone out of my pocket while carrying my daughter and the guard became impatient and raised her voice that I must switch off my phone. I little unnecessary when it was clear that I was doing it, just obviously not fast enough for the VFS Gestapo.

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My wife was running a bit late for work and was off like a shot to get on the BTS. There were 6 lanes of traffic, its a very busy junction and it was the morning rush, all cars just ignore the red lights, I would have had to walk out in traffic to get to her whilst people were beeping and trying to get passed. I didn't have my phone as I'd only nipped out to drop the wife at the station. I suppose I just felt there were lots of people around more qualified to help from a communication perspective as well as having a phone to call the emergency services. I felt like there was nothing I could have done.

Looking back though, maybe there was.

I understand...but what if you just plucked up the courage to stand out and go and direct traffic around her....I am sure others would then come and assist at some point....the first step is always the hardest.

I agree with this 100% and I believe that this is the reason that many Thais do not get involved, their upbringing and education system (by and large) discourages anyone from standing out and going 'against the herd'. I do not think that Thais are being deliberately callous when they do not stop to help people in need, it is just a huge step for them to be the first to stand up and take the lead.

I also understand from the OP's perspective that there were so many people more able to render help than he, especially as a foreigner who may not speak Thai proficiently. This is a split second decision and as a humans we sometimes make the wrong decision, it is easy to sit here and criticise but we were not in the situation at the time.

I give an example of my own. A couple of years ago my Brother, my Wife and I were driving on a back road (wife driving as I had been drinking) and we passed an old couple pushing their motorcycle which I assume had run out of petrol. I suggested to my Wife that we stop as we just happened to have a can of petrol in the boot which was destined to be used for our small motorcycle at home. My wife instantly said "no no no" and continued driving. I turned to my Brother and said "that's the Christmas spirit", due to it being Christmas time. They probably had another km or so to walk before they could reach somewhere to buy petrol. The point is, it was a split second decision and I could have pushed the issue and I didn't, I feel guilty about that to this day but I am sure my wife has never given it a second thought. We could have given them half a litre of petrol and it would not have affected us one jot, but it would have meant a lot to the old couple.

I will now vindicate myself by saying that there are many occasions when I have helped people and every kind act makes the world a little bit better, but I will also say that the times I have helped people are not as memorable as the times I didn't and should have.

And that's all i've got to say about that.

Thai Airways don't like passengers! We are quite clearly an inconvenience to the cabin crew and quite often they make the fact all too obvious.

I once helped an older Thai woman transport her daughter and grandchildren gack up north because she could live far better there an it would be better environment for the children , her house and yard were a mess as was the whole soi . I asked if I could stay for a while and clean things up a little , the house was easily done with two women , so I started in on the yard piling up debri of all kinds . I got the neighbors husband to take it in his truck to a dump for a few Baht(?) then had the yard around the house cemented , this carried on to a wall between the two homes , then a couple of flower boxes , a cemented ditch for drainage etc , I even got out into the cement road and cleaned it and the accompanying ditch on the other side of the road . The children started to come up and play their 'Throw the flip-flop 'game etc in our nice clean section of road , even started to practise their English , but the litter they left behind earned them a small talking to , translated by the lady of the house . There was a bin outside of the fence in which they were instructed to place ALL of their garbage and if they saw anyone throw any on the floor to point out the bin to them , within a week the whole street became clear of debri , the chidren were so proud of themselves .

No , it does not take much effort to achieve a simple thing like teaching by example , so who else has made this kind of small effort and when are the rest of you going to '' Çhip-in' and stop just bloody whining ? Oh , and that includes the Thaiwise who find it easier to join the status-quo just to be a REAL Thai .

After a songkran festival in my wife's village all the grounds around the temple were a right mess. I gave some plastic bags to the kids and paid 10 baht to each one who could bring back a bag full of rubbish from the grounds. Cost me a couple of hundred baht but the place had never been so clean.

Plastic bags are a big problem but of course they blow away in the wind and become someone elses problem.

A big thanks to 7-11's for double and triple bagging everything and then giving you a plastic bag to put your plastic bag in. I often take things out of the plastic bags, give them back and put the items in my own 15 year old bag.

Also have to call blackboards, chalkboards now...crazy....!!!

Ridiculous. Yet we still call whiteboards, whiteboards? Being white I find that racist and insulting, I also just insulted myself by saying that I am white. I am going to sue myself for the mental trauma I caused myself.

Where will it all end. We are all people and if we need to describe something then we use whatever words are available to do so. A board that is black is a blackboard. People who take offense at these things obviously have nothing whatsoever in their lives to worry about or they are just looking for sympathy or money.

This PC stuff pisses me off. People are so terrified of repercussions that they would rather employ someone who is of 'ethnic' minority than a honky.

I have read many times in the past that the police in the U.K are trying to recruit more people from ethnic minorities. As a white person then surely that is being racist against me!

I work around the world with all races of people, if they are a good person then they are good, if they are a tosser then they are a tosser, regardless of race or religion.

Fraud was up 114% and prostitution up 70%, and yet the headline reads "prostitution up" - erm, I would prefer to be shagged than conned! - what's more newsworthy for Christ sake!

Depends on who is doing the shagging! In some instances I can categorically say that I would rather be conned than shagged

prostitution is a hands on job and will always get a rise,and be on the rise

Although I still refuse to believe that prostitution exists in Thailand. I have never seen any evidence of it.

Thai law does state that foreigners are meant to carry their passports at all times in public areas. The policeman if he were genuine, was within his rights to impose a fine on a foreigner not carrying a passport, but this policeman was manipulating the law to line his own pocket.

I am sure this is true, the problem I see with this is that (for tourists at least) how are they supposed to know this?

When you arrive in Thailand there is nothing to make you aware of this law. Don't everyone bother to post that you should make yourself aware of the local laws before travelling to any Country because that is just BS. In reality I doubt that most people bother with this, I know I don't.

I do also think, however, that the Police normally leave tourists alone and concentrate on people who are living here (be they foreigners or Thai) and unfortunately normally people who are obviously not wealthy. Hence they pick on motorcyclists and pickups etc.

I think as a tourist the OP was unlucky for this to happen but he mostly had his wits about him even though he was probably not familiar with the Country or the Culture.

It is easy for us who live here or are familiar with Thailand to criticise and say people are stupid and should have done things differently but we all have to take into account that for many tourists they are not familiar with the 'real' ways of Thailand. Would most of us know the deal if we travelled to a Country we had never been to before or had visited only the tourist parts? Probably not.

I will stop posting now as I feel I am starting to ramble. That seems to happen more and more lately

I ride a motorcycle and whenever I go out I ensure the following:

1. I have my driving licence

2. I have approx 120 to 150 Baht in one pocket (depending on what small notes I have at the time)

3. My real money is hidden in a different pocket

4. I carry photocopies of all my bike docs in a plastic sealable bag on my bike

When I get stopped, which inevitably happens (the old left lane rule, even when going past a parked car) they can see that I have only a small amount of money and accept it. On one occasion the officer actually thought a while and then gave me some money back (I must have looked somewhat crestfallen and poor).

They are trying to make a living and unfortunately their salary is not enough. I also believe they have quota's to meet from up the chain just like any other business.

Best not to lose your temper, if you do they will stone wall you. My advice is to give them a little something but not what they are asking for. This obviously wont work if you pull out a big wad of 1000 baht notes and offer them a 20. Be realistic.

You could also put this down as one of life's great experiences and have a good story to tell in the pub when you get back home.

I was stopped for "go through red light", the lights were not working (or switched off) there was no traffic so I made the turn. Fortunately for me I was giving a lift to 2 monks, on seeing the monks in my car the cops face dropped, he patted me on the shoulder smiled and wished me a safe journey.

I think the cop did not want the bad karma of fining me on a made up charge.

Mee Noi is pretty cheesy, it means little bear. Make sure you say it right tho, you dont wanna call her "mia noi".

Then the classics; waan jai, tii rak, etc

Mee Noi 'little bear' is the sort of thing I am after but you are right it is very close phonetically to Mia Noi.

Come on guys just think of all those cute English Language names. Pumpkin, Cuddle Bug, marshmallow, Jellybean, Peanut, Cutie Pie, Lamb Chop, Wuggle Bear. The Thai language must be full of them.

How about PORK CHOP?

In Pattaya you say?

Definately your "one eyed trouser snake".

Very common species often found between Jomtien and Walking Street

Absolutely correct. Definately a trouser snake, it can be pacified by sacrificing (providing) a bar girl to it, this normally causes it to spit but this is normal and is not ordinarily dangerous.

Sod that! I don't know where you are coming in from but if I were you I would walk in through Burma (Myanmar) and swim over the river rather than enter through swampy!

Sorry I was not being serious. It's an airport, if you want to come to Thailand then use the airport, the scams etc are few and far between when you consider how many passengers travel through there every day. You have significantly more chance of being run over by a pickup once you have negotiated the airport than actually having any problems at the airport.

I never fully understood why the AOT felt the need to advertise so much, "flying somewhere? come to the airport!".

I also like the big billboards advertising certain hospitals "heart attack? come to xxx hospital"

I don't know much about much but if I were having a heart attack I would probably think about going to a hospital, ANY HOSPITAL, and when I want to fly somewhere I generally go to the airport, the reason for this is that it is normally quite difficult to take a flight from places other than the airport.

Thai tv IS pretty bad!

so you don't like the story where the cute girl wants to date the cute boy but the parents want her to date the ugly looking fat kid from the rich family to further the parents business interest which ends in the scene where they are running around the jungle shooting at each other and then someone ends up in hospital ...

... while simultaneously in the hospital the cute girl's father miraculously regains a pulse after being declared dead by an impostor doctor as his mia noi watches faking sobs, just having been informed the man is actually her father by her crazed arch-enemy identical twin ladyboy brother who was in the next bed being treated for snake bite in the ass during intimacy with an autistic one-armed friend in the grass ... it goes on and on.

I just like the sound effects.....

best of Thailand is the moderate climate. always cloudy and cool. but not too cold that one needs to buy heating oil.

second best is the infrastructure. electricity supply without blackouts, reliable superfast internet connections with 60mbit speed, roads without any potholes, disciplined and polite drivers, at any government office you can have a small talk in english, french, spanish, german and sign language, residence permit issued at entry showing a thousand dollars cash and of course a stable political environment.

And don't forget the BIB, they are great. When I am riding my motorcycle I often stop to give them a donation in recognition of their great work!!