connda

"Check the stamps and notice I need to come back in another month to "get my "real extension stamp".

What do you mean "real extension stamp". If your appointment wasn't for a "real extension stamp", what was if for?

Extensions based on marriage always gets 1 month "under consideration"

They final decision is made at regional head offices.

Married for five years and have the wedding band worn into the skin on my ring finger.

"Yes Mr. Thailand Immigration. We're just gaming the system. We're just faking it to get around your stupid, control-freak type of immigration laws. Yeah, the house, cars, motorcycles, family dogs, and financial support -- and the half a dozen villager who I support -- smoke and mirrors Mr. Thailand Immigration. You better send five or six investigation units to check into us. You know us rich farangs, I probably have Thailand littered with gigs and mia nois -- this is just my 'immigration wife'. "

Idiots. Trust me, I'm being kind.

Back to CM Thai immigration for the annual one year paper shuffle to extend my visa. I just detest that place. Arrived early because I know they'll be inadequate parking. Not disappointed. Screwed around for 10 minutes just to get a motorcycle parking place. My car would be out of the question. They were just driving around in cycles. The overflow parking lot for motorcycles has been roped off to limit the available space for parking by about 60%. There is parking everyhere, but everyone is funneled into a roped off limited area and packed in like peas in a can. They have one employee telling everyone where that can't park, but there is no place to park -- except for the additional 60% of the parking lot that is roped off and completely empty. Bad start only to get worse.

I arrived 1/2 hour before my appointment. I hear the appointment before me being called,

"Mr. ____ ____ from England for _____ o'clock appoint. Please come to counter."

Ok, I've got 1/2 hour wait and settle in. After 1/2 hour I notice one of the two visa extensions desks cleared, and I went to the counter an told them my name and I was here for my scheduled appointment. Got a "brusk" "You sit down we call you when ready." Five minutes after my scheduled appointment, they call a regular number, and some people head in and sit down at the desk. At that time my wife got involved and started asking why we just got passed up. The guy she was talking to turn his back on her. She came back, "They busy." About 25 minutes after my appointment time she tries again and basically gets blown off. 35 minutes after my appointment time, a guy came to the counter and mumbled something that was unitelligible even though I was watching his mouth, but my wife immediately pick it up, "He say person with xx o'clock appointment come up." I can only guess that he said it in Thai. Never once did any person call my name over the microphone. So we start the paper shuffle 40 minutes late only to be told that we can't finish and to come back after lunch. Back after lunch and stand like sardines in a building holding twice it's capacity of people it's built for. Listen to conversations about how confused folks are, sweat, swelter while standing in a corner for 40 minutes. Looked over the room a wondered how many people would die if a fire or other emergency started in the room considering that place is severely overcrowded with standing room only, the only exit is in the back leading to another overcrowded exterior room, one side door open but leading to a courtyard, and the other side door opening to the only clear exit on the street is locked. Again, nobody ever calls my name, but my wife shows up with my passport. Check the stamps and notice I need to come back in another month to "get my "real extension stamp". So I can't wait to go back to that bureaucratic nightmare and stand around in the sweltering heat for another couple of hours just to be treated like a piece of meat. Honestly, I treat my dogs with more attention and respect.

Anyway, be aware. Having an appointment really doesn't mean much. My experience is that they might call your name, or they might not. It's up to you to follow up because the impression I get is that the counter folk really don't care.

BTW, I understand that the director of CM Immigration has tried to address many problems like these himself, but he is also subjected to immense amount of senseless bureaucracy within the system itself. I've found him and the interview staff to be pretty professional, but there are others that seem to play the bureaucracy card and language barrier card and simply don't give a rip. It makes an already frustrating experience virtually intolerable. But there are some good staff there; it's the only thing that make it tolerable at all.

What documents would I require to go qnd apply for PR? And where do I have to go ? I live in asok area

Are your parent still in Thailand. Honestly, they should be helping you out on this. You're 18...can you financially afford the 200K+ baht in fees? Just curious, where are your parents and why don't they seem to be helping? If they both have PR visas, they have already navigated this process. You're a dependent. You shouldn't have to be doing this alone.

What a nice remarks here... Ladies & gentleman.... it's April 1st, yes? get out of the dreamworld already?

HAPPY FOOLSDAY!!!!!

Dang! I hate when that happens!

This info below sort of counters the info on the map which looks impressive because it highlights so much land mass. Inaccurate though:

Countries that use left-hand traffic account for about 30% of the world's population, a sixth of its area and a quarter of its roads.
Anguilla
Antigua
Australia
The Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bermuda
Bhutan
Botswana
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Cayman Islands
Channel Islands
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Cook Islands
Cyprus
Dominica
Falkland Islands
Fiji
Grenada
Guyana
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Isle of Man
Jamaica
Japan
Kenya
Kiribati (Gilbert Islands)
Lesotho
Macao
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Malta
Mauritius
Montserrat
Mozambique
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
New Zealand
Nieu Island
Norfolk Island
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Pitcairn Island
St Helena
St Kitts-Nevits (-Anguilla)
St Lucia
St Vincent
Seychelles
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Surinam
Swaziland
Tanzania
Thailand
Tokelau Islands
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
United Kingdom
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Source: The Rule of the Road

Would anybody really notice? Who drives in the lanes anyway?

Well, seriously -- what an f**ked up idea. Accidents and fatalities will go through the roof. It will be a nightmarish slaughter on the roads for months if not longer.

Next, "Under the plan owners of a car not older than 5 year will get half of
the price for refitting back from the government through their personal
income tax, so they don’t have to spend too much money."

Wonderful!!! Subsidize the people who can afford cars and screw that folks that can afford it the least. This will not turn out well. And for those folks that can't afford the retro-fit their old cars. Ever try driving a right hand road in a car with the steering wheel on the right. It screws up your perception. There will be accidents for years.

If the government is going to force this change, they should pony-up the cash to assist all car owners to retro-fit their vehicles, or buy all the old cars and subsidize the purchase of new cars with 0% loans directly from the government. If they are going to use tax incentive, then they are going to have to revamp their tax laws in order to get everyone to report income, and that ain't gonna happen in this third-world, emerging market anytime soon. What a clusterf**k.

What is all about those immigration rules in 2015? Tourist would go to Cambo, get a 1 year visa and can they living all over any places?

To my knowledge, Thailand opted out of this because they knew neighbouring countries were offering long visas, without any of the BS like Thailand. Eg. Vietnam - married to a Vietnamese National - 5 year visa - if not married to a Vietnamese National - 1 year "tourist visas" available. No need for 850,000 baht in the bank for 3 months blah blah blah.

Maybe I should take a vacation to Vietnam. Turn the current model of Thai wife in for a Vietnamese wife. Hummmm!

Well, I have a house and an apartment, so where do I really live??? Yeah, trust me. None of my landlords ever reported my presence to immigration. The average Thai wouldn't have a clue.

Thailand! Just ban all foreigners and get it over with. Well, wait a minute, except for rich foreigners. They can stay. Everyone else - OUT!

Although I don't take Xanax, it really makes me angry when governments ban substances that clearly have medicinal benefits. Case in point? Marijuana. It's been shown time and again to have pain relieving benefits for people suffering from some of the most painful/debilitating diseases. Another example? Ecstasy (or actually MDMA). Studies have shown it works wonders for combat veterans, domestic violence victims, or anyone else suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Last example? Ketamine. A rather obscure drug, but I just read a study where they actually found that Ketamine worked almost instantly to relieve major depressive disorder vs. traditional anti-depressant medications which can take between 2-4 weeks to start working. A much better option for that person who's on the ledge about to jump.

Now if you'll excuse me I have severe allergies and congestion, need to pop out and pick up some actifed. Oh wait...

I don't think it should be banned, but there's a big difference between marijuana, which is pretty harmless and not physically addictive, and Xanax, whose withdrawal symptoms are horrific and can last a year or more.

If that was the reason they banned Xanax (Alprazolam), then all benzothiazines should have been banned. But this isn't about benzothiazines, which are widely available at government hospitals (example lorazapam and diazapam). The only difference between these are their half-lifes during metabolism. Xanax has a relatively short half-life (measured in hours) which actually makes it a better sleep medicine because you don't wake up groggy, unlike diazapam which has a half-life that is days long. And as far as horrific withdrawal symptoms and 'addictive qualities', it really varies markedly from person to person. I've never found them 'addictive' and I've never suffered withdrawal symptoms.

So, basically the Thai MPs banned Xanax based on a knee-jerk reaction. Date rape drug. Criminy, you'd have to eat a handful for that effect. I think your date would notice the sediment in her nasty tasting drink. What a laugh. We need to label Stupid those things that are truly stupid. And this (banning Alprazolam).....is really stupid. But - TIT

Believe you are for PR - read the links - and for citizenship PR is the normal building block.

Lop,

How's this kid ever going to get even a PR. In fact, how can he even stay here unless he is picked up by a company and gets a B visa, but then his vocation options are severely limited by the Foreigner Work Act that pretty much says that you can't do any work that can be performed by a Thai. Here is a really sad case of a kid, probably fluent in Thai, who has to jump thought the hoops reserved primary to limit the influx of farang who wish to permanently reside in Thailand. Remember - only 100 per year per nationality (which is unfair in and of itself). Hope the kid is from a small country like Luxemburg and not the USA. Then he is competing with a few thousand PR seekers for one of the prime 100 yearly spots. Also there are financial requirement that I think are over the head of an 18 year old.

This will probably be a case of an individual who 'should' qualify to reside in Thailand and to be a citizen, but slips though the cracks of an already inequitable immigration system. There are a huge number of thing I like about Thailand, but their nationalist fervor, lack of compassion for non-natives, and out-dated immigration policies are not one of them.

Shariq607 -- I feel for you and wish you the best of luck. I'd suggest considering attending University if your parents can help you out, and consider a major that will help you obtain a job with a multinational corporation -- geology for example (oil industry). And learn Mandarin Chinese. Start early looking for internships with multinational companies, like PTT. If you're lucky enough to land a high paying job in Thailand, you'll eventually earn sufficient money and create personal contacts within the business community that will help you obtain citizenship in the future. Or you may find that you make your home in the country of your employer, and that Thailand simply becomes and nice place to visit. At the present time, to be honest, I believe your options for PR or Thai citizenship are limited and not too bright. Be patient and look to the future. You're still very young. You have a lot of life ahead of you!

I didn't think that Thailand would transform into a 'nanny state' for at least another 20 years. Now I'm thinking maybe between 10 to 15. For those of you who don't know what a nanny state is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanny_state

I've taken them all.

I'm not fond of the buses. Dangerous drivers and every year a few go off the road. And not much for comfort, even VIPs.

The sleeper train is OK if I'm not in a hurry. Book the bottom berth: more comfortable and you have a window. Try to get mid-car in order to get away from the wheels. And like Daoyai said, 5 to 10 mg of diazepam and Bob's your uncle.

If I don't feel like a hassle: fly Nokair. Book far enough in advance to get the lowest fair. Twice the price of the train, half the hassle, and more then 10 times as fast.

At Don Muang airport grab a metered taxi or go to the road and wait for the red 29 bus (there is a blue air con bus too, but it's been too long since I lived in Laksi to remember the number - I think it's 52 but don't hold me to that), head to Mo Chit and take either the Sky Train or BTS subway from there. Here's a link to the BMTA bus map, but it's a challenge to read unless your familiar with BKK and the surrounding area.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/BMTA_Bangkok_Metropolitan_Region_bus_map_%28Greater_Bangkok%29.png

Happy trails to you!

Did my first one last week (in Korat).

I got the impression reading and asking questions on TV beforehand, that the requirement to have the "Kor 2" documenting marriage was still active, in addition to the normal marriage certificate, was something new.

Not sure if this was required last year when you did it but FYI, and Korat immigration indeed made a point to tell us we needed to get this document.

We went to our local Amphur where we registered our marriage, they produced one for us in about 10 minutes, and it was accepted by Immigration along with the rest of the laundry list.

Rgds,

J

Yepper-do! I have the Kor 2 in my package.

I got my first two extensions based on marriage in Korat. It's a breeze down there compared to Chiang Mai. If you forget something, you can usually drive back to Korat, pick it up, and head back to the Immigration office in the same day.

In Chiang Mai, you don't want to be missing paperwork. The immigration office here is a madhouse: under-staffed (although they are competent), over-crowded, and housed in a facility that can adequately accommodate maybe 1/3 of the current immigration customers -- andddd virtually no parking. Missing paperwork means a second visit and an all day wait to be serviced. I want all my ducks in a row prior to the yearly interview and paperwork shuffle. I detest going there.

I hear/read that more often than not about Korat, guess I should feel fortunate that's my Imm office compared to some things I've read. Good luck on your extension. J

Thanks!

It would not be remotely possible to make this stuff up.... Spraying piss and dry ice in opposing flight patterns to remove smoke/dust from the air?? Rose colored glasses brigade, please hit google and see if this concept has been used in farang countries...... Plodprasop move aside, in the wacky science department, you have just been one upped. Remaining options are praying to Buddha, actually putting the fires out, or fining the crap out of people who are starting the fires.. Am fairly sure the path with the best chance of success would be putting them out.

Not really sure of the net value of the crops created by slash and burn, but it sure as hell has to be a lot smaller than the loss of tourism and health damage created by everyone there breathing in polluted air.

And on the issue of fines, why not fine the TAO (Aw-Bor-Tor or Ow By Dhu in N. Thai... ) in the sub-districts where the fires are... Give the folks more of a kick in the butt to pay more attention to this. On the other side of the coin...we had a fire near one of our rubber plantations (Mae Ai) last year. Fortunately, my b-i-law was nearby and was able to alert the TAO - every one of them in the office there came out with the fire truck and extinguished the fire in time.

That was lucky. Don't want a condom shortage in Thailand.

Let it burn. Latex is overrated and many people have latex allergies. Polyurethane all the way, baby!!!

Btw, we lost 1/2 our 15 rai Lumyai orchard to a fire started in the adjacent national forest. The fire-fighter were called but we are land locked by a neighbor's farm, and the neighbor locked their gate and refused to open it. If I knew that pr**k had latex allergies, I'd send him a case or two of latex condoms -- he seriously needs them. What the heck -- his karma will catch up with him.

...and haven't seen sight nor hair of any aerial spraying in our neck of the woods. But then again, considering the haze, you probably couldn't see the plane anyway even if it was 1000 feet overhead.

NancyL,

Kudos on the efforts to help this guy. Two thumbs up!

In the U.S. there is an industry selling just burial insurance. For over age 50 there are policies with not medical checkup required. The premium is about one dollar a day. Keep paying and it cannot be canceled. These policies are good up to age 100. The payout ranges widely but often is 10k and up. Younger people can get term life or whole life for much less. Three hundred sixty-five dollars a year will seem like too much to some people... But it is good reassurance that things will get handled in the end. Is there insurance of this nature available in Thailand? Not the optimum solution - but it is a workable partial solution to problems like OP cites.

Why burial insurance?

When I die my family will take me to the local wat, and after 3 days of chanting, music, and hanging out, they'll pop me in the oven and hand what's left back to the family after the fire cools down. You give donations to the wat in the amounts you can afford, or what other people donate. Then the family throws a big party and the next day life goes on.

I'm pretty sure that any wat in Thailand will take care of an indigent farang when his life has finally left. An he'd get a good send off too!

Wonder what the 'hot formula' is? Aluminum, Barium, Titanium oxides with other chemical mixes? Gotta love geoengineering where the 'cure' is more dangerous that the problem it is set out to 'fix'.

A Kor Ror 2 can be obtained at any Amphoe.

Phibun (Ubon) asked for one last year for the first time and my wife made a quick trip to the Amphoe there and got ours.

I think the Kor Ror 2 is now required by all immigration offices. I also would not take one to immigration that is more than 30 days old since they are so easy to get.

In Chiangmai they don't , got one with me 2 years ago , ans she took it out immediately , last year NO , don't expect it to be different this year either ,

CM office has too much of everything on workload and got the impression everything just stays the same for things not getting any worse , unbelievable really they can get things done as they do.

Humm. Interesting. I filed in Chiang Mai last year and they took my Kor 2. As usual, guess it depends on who you interview with and which way the wind is blowing on any given day.

Did my first one last week (in Korat).

I got the impression reading and asking questions on TV beforehand, that the requirement to have the "Kor 2" documenting marriage was still active, in addition to the normal marriage certificate, was something new.

Not sure if this was required last year when you did it but FYI, and Korat immigration indeed made a point to tell us we needed to get this document.

We went to our local Amphur where we registered our marriage, they produced one for us in about 10 minutes, and it was accepted by Immigration along with the rest of the laundry list.

Rgds,

J

Yepper-do! I have the Kor 2 in my package.

I got my first two extensions based on marriage in Korat. It's a breeze down there compared to Chiang Mai. If you forget something, you can usually drive back to Korat, pick it up, and head back to the Immigration office in the same day.

In Chiang Mai, you don't want to be missing paperwork. The immigration office here is a madhouse: under-staffed (although they are competent), over-crowded, and housed in a facility that can adequately accommodate maybe 1/3 of the current immigration customers -- andddd virtually no parking. Missing paperwork means a second visit and an all day wait to be serviced. I want all my ducks in a row prior to the yearly interview and paperwork shuffle. I detest going there.

Failure! that is the understatement of the year. Lazy teachers, no national curriculum, overcrowded, poorly equipped, dog that together with a policy where every student passes badly set tests. They need to start by ensuring that the teachers undertake proper training and testing. Bring in properly trained specialists who can bring schools into the 21st century, and impose a national curriculum and testing. Forget about tablets for votes, it's bull shit. Kids need good schools, teachers, books, equipment, and real qualifications that have a value outside of Thailand. Don't just talk about it, DO SOMETHING NOW!

But they have tablet computers that nobody knows how to use. That's a start, isn't it?

/sarcasm off

That time of year. Off to CM immigration for the yearly application for extension of stay based on marriage. I put together the same paperwork package as I submitted last year.

Soooo, has their been any changes in the immigration laws regarding extension of stay based on marriage since March 2012 and now. I hate surprises.

Thanks!

One more comment. Actually, 100% of these kids are successfully being taught -- They are successfully being taught how to assimilate into Thai society;

and

Without the Chinese cultural influence on the upper end of Thai society, Thailand would simply be Cambodia's twin sister. But once the Chinese 'Borg Collective' comes down and assimilates SE Asia in the future, it really won't matter.

As long as the elites can send their kids to Oxford or Harvard, it business as usual, and everyone else is cheap labor (or cannon-fodder). How much of an education do you need to operate within 'The Borg'. Critical thinking skills??? <sound of air being sucked thru my teeth> Dangerous to the status-quo.

(My apologies to any of those who have not seen Star Trek. Just Google 'Borg'.)

Long time lurker here, but I just had to comment on this story. Here we go.

Full disclosure, I am a teacher in Bangkok. I work at a bilingual private school. Education in Thailand is a failure for many reasons. I will try to address a few of them through my experiences here.

1. The students.

I have had the pleasure to teach many wonderful and intelligent students. Sometimes it amazes me how much some of my students have learned while in this moribund system. My best students have always been very motivated to learn. I credit this to parents who actually care and are interested in the education of their children. However, the majority of my students, possibly 80%, just do not care about learning. They are kids. They figure out very early that they really don't have to do anything and they will move up to the next grade. There is no accountability for students who fail or do not try. Of course, they do not fail. That would be a loss of face for the kid and parents.

2. The teachers.

Where to begin? Some teachers are very dedicated and try really hard to teach their students. Others are bone lazy and come to school to hang out, collect a paycheck and say they have a job. I think a big problem is that they come from the broken system. They are just teaching the way they were taught and there has been no innovation or desire to innovate. Due to this, their teaching methods don't improve and the system stays broken. Many teachers will do nothing all day in class and then teach students after school is over. Why? Because they can charge the parents more money for this "tutoring." Teachers can double or triple their salary this way. It's a sham and the parents should be pissed.

3. The administration.

Here is where the biggest faults lie. As I said I work in a private school. The focus is on maximizing profit, not education. It is amazing how much class time is lost due to dance shows, sport days, praying, activities for kids and the list goes on and on. Twice this year we had class times cut from 50 to 40 minutes so the kids could practice for sport day and the end of term show, the former, a tradition all over Thailand and the latter a money maker for the school. This went on for months. We lost so much time. We have had the Ministry of Education come in and do inspections. The routine is that the school fails the first inspection and passes the second inspection. How do we pass? An envelope passes hands. Corruption is present in every facet of Thailand.

4. The Ministry of Education.

The governing body that looks over and decides the curriculum is a political appointment. Most of the time the appointee has no experience in the field of education. Every time there is a change at the ministry, there are new ideas on how to improve education. Schools try to implement these new ideas, find they are ineffective after only giving them a few months and then try something new. The ministry needs to be gutted and new people with a clue installed.

There are so many problems it is really hard to know where to begin fixing all of them. Student accountability would be a good start. If little Somchai were held back and made to learn something that would help. But I know I don't understand Thailand. Sometimes that thought makes me very happy.

+1 Well said