connda

Never mind having a moral conscience about what we feed our pets. Much of everything we buy in the developed world is produced by the exploitation of cheap labour in underdeveloped countries. Coffee, sports gear, electrical goods - the list is endless. The question is, other than launch incredibly expensive and probably fruitless litigation, what on earth can we ordinary consumers do about it?

Start becoming self-reliant. The globalist love calling people like that 'preppers' and other pejoratives - if you're not a functional corporate consumer, your a "useless eater" as Henry Kissinger aptly said [dude's a piece of work]. So - stop buying their crap. Buy local if you can. Plant your own food. Feed your animals what you eat. Our's get rice, various meat scrapes, you don't need to buy dog food. Recycle and reuse. Learn to fix stuff instead of tossing it and buying new. Live simply.

so I guess none of you guys eat seafood here in Thailand? And the ones who do - verify with the restaurants / vendors / supermarkets that it was all legally caught by fully and fairly paid crews??

Well of course we do, right after filing our TM28 with the local police while visiting the coast to feast on fish.

Train full of gold found after 70 years. Would certainly make a good film.

The FED probably put it there a couple of months ago so they could repatriate German gold reserves without losing face. Lol

I have been to Chiang Rai once (recently).

It is a superb city. it has everything except traffic jams & pollution.

Many rural tourist attractions in close proximity.

You can cut the air with a knife for three months of the year. Everything except traffic jams and pollution, get the facts before posting, one trip after rain does not tell the facts. However it is a nice city most of the time.

Agreed. You don't want to live in Northern Thailand between February through April. Maybe you can come up during that time. Plenty of folks who value their lung flee this area during the slash and burn down the forest season - easy to find someone to rent your place, Lol. I plan to be renting a place down South that time next year.

Not everything is the government's fault - Soi 38 is closing because the landowners want to redevelop the area.

That will keep up until the next financial meltdown. Maybe 2017 will look like 2007: half built sky-trains going nowhere and a lot of half-built construction projects looking to crumble into dust over the next decade.

Let's just say I don't see Thailand being considered part of the 'developed world' until way after my life-time.

Just curious, but what criteria do you need to meet if you don't have 400K in the bank, and yet can still get an Non-O? Anyone know how's that work?

I was at Klong Thom today and everything is off the public streets ,

even the area across the street that was full of street sellers at the first crackdown in March is now gone ,

There was supposed to be another place somewhere that they were going to be sent ( re-education camp ? ) but I never found out where it was .

Really makes it boring........ but its the "NEW" Thailand

Maybe TAT can spin that:

Welcome to The New Thailand:

Less color, Less diversity, Boring as hell

(and - shhhhh! - more out of work, poor Thais unable to make a living due to the 'clean-up' of Thai society.)

Personally, I liked 'old' Thailand 100% better. If I wasn't married to a Thai, I'd be looking for friendlier and more interesting places to live, where folks are encouraged to be entrepreneurial and self-reliant. I now considering moving here years ago as a mistake. One decision in life that's hard to take back when you have a Thai family that depends on you, but a life in a country where 'the powers to be' make living here as difficult as possible for foreigners who seem to be barely tolerated any longer, and have the social status of Water Buffalo at best, imho -- at least my family understands who butters the bread. It's one of those things in life I'd like to take back. C'est la vie. It can always get worse.

lostoday

"This is the procedures for a business (hotel/guest house) to obtain permission to submit online guest registration"

What is so difficult to understand?

The on line reporting system is ONLY available to qualifying Businesses ! Reports are made by Businesses ON-LINE not via a CD!

The system is in use. A friend of mine who owns a hotel business has one of his front desk employees enter new guests details on the system every day !

Yes I have seen the system being used !

Wives and Mothers do not qualify for access to the system.!

If I understand what you are saying there is a website where this information is downloaded to one Thai government department?

25 million tourists per year and given a number of hotel changes that is roughly 4 million hours of data entry work.

Do you see why I find it difficult to understand?

Do you find it difficult to understand that you've taken this thread way off topic?

A poster above asked, "Is my wife supposed to fill out a TM30 on me even thought I have a valid Foreign Tabian Baan (Yellow Book);

also

If renting, I thought it was the Rentor who was responsible for filing a TM30, not the Rentee. If that is the case, then why are Rentee's being harassed by Thai Immigration."

I answered. I guess I should not try and be nice and answer a question. I should have reported his post as being off topic. You're right. I stand corrected.

And I was just responding to Post #3 by NancyL regarding the TM30. So the topic branched this direction very early on. She has been doing an outstanding job of trying to keep CM TV members informed of a broad array of irregularities that have been happening since the inception of the new Promenade Immigration Office and the split of service between two different locations.

It may seem off-topic, but these new immigration issues are interrelated. Well, imho.

This would also be true for everyone housing a foreigner. I think it is a good idea. But I've never met anyone who does it. I've never seen any examples of a wife or mother or hotel clerk submitting this data with a cd. Have you?

No, it is only for a formal licensed business. Rentals, except perhaps condos, do not qualify for the online reporting and have to do it manually - as does a friend or family one may stay with. As for hotels, the CD has an application that is most likely installed on their computer along with the supplied registration number of the business and unlikely you will actually see them entering the information but when checking in you are required to supply your passport information. When they enter it I wouldn't know. Perhaps not when each individual guest is registering but enter all the guests at a certain time of day and send en masse to immigration.

Tywais,

Do you have any idea where my wife would send a TM30 to CM Immigration. Same address as the 90 day report or is there somewhere else.

Anyone who's has a Thai wife, Thai Husband, or Thai girlfriend and has sent in a TM30 for their partner, please, please, please feel free to add comments/suggestions/info.

Thanks,

TotallyConfusedInThailand

What fun is power if you don't get to use it. Thailand is definitely starting to turn into something different than it use to be, and that tend to affect those with the least. Wish Burma would get it's act together and start establishing farang friendly tourist cities.

Just thinking outside the box. I've just blow the hell out of a public place killing and maiming a lot of people. CCTV catches my escape. I've had days to get the heck out of Dodge. Why I'm I still in my room with a bunch of materials that could be used for bomb making. Personally, especially considering the media was saying there was not a good CCTV coverage, I'd be in a different country, and back to whatever sick terror cell I came from. But no! The "Suspect" stays. Like one of the previous posters said. Wait and see.

I hate to cross post, but it was brought up in a topic about the customer service at CM Immigration and the fact I/Os are 'inquiring' from some individuals coming in for 90 as to why they do not have a TM30 on file, which is not a form that we as immigration customers are require to file.

But my actual question is, the topic came up that my wife should have filled out a TM30 because I reside in her house. However, I've had a Foreign Tabian Baan (Yellow House Book) since I quit my job in Korat and moved here over three years ago at which time I did my first extension based on marriage (not working anymore). So, even with a Foreign Tabian Baan (Yellow House Book), is my wife require to fill out a TM30 on me and submit it to Thai Immigration.

If so, what's the process?

In Chiang Mai in on-line appointment queue has been stopped, but previously booked appointments are being honored, even if you don't have a confirmation printout. Go to the new office at Promenada for retirement extensions and the old one near the Airport for marriage extensions. Tell the I/O you're there a couple minutes before the time of your appointment.

On-line 90 day reporting seems to be hit-and-miss for Chiang Mai and no one seems to know quite why. It worked OK for Hubby, but not for me.

There was one report of someone being told that 90 day reporting by mail has been stopped in Chiang Mai, but that's it -- just one isolated report. It would make no sense to stop mail-in 90 day reporting -- it has been working so well. But little that Chiang Mai Immigration has been doing lately makes any sense at all.

Meanwhile, I'd suggest that Chiang Mai residents still mail-in their 90 day reports. Detailed instructions can be found in a pinned topic at the top of the Chiang Mai forum.

I've heard several reports of them pulling aside people who come in person to file 90 day reports to question them about the lack of TM 30 on file. Or doing home visits if the owner of the dwelling where they reside (like their wife) didn't file a TM 30. This is a one-time filing that until recently Immigration didn't seem to care about. They came to our condo building and talked with the Juristic Person Mgr about how some of the foreign renters didn't have TM30s on file and there are reports of home visits in Chiang Mai to people on retirement visas where this question has come up.

Here's a question for someone who's really up on their understanding of Thai Immigration processes. (Mario2008 UbonJoe ???)

Is my wife supposed to fill out a TM30 on me even thought I have a valid Foreign Tabian Baan (Yellow Book);

also

If renting, I thought it was the Rentor who was responsible for filing a TM30, not the Rentee. If that is the case, then why are Rentee's being harassed by Thai Immigration.

Seeing that things in CM Imm have degenerated into chaos, I'm personally not sure who or what to believe or think anymore, let alone actually understand.

Hey Nancy. How about inviting the Pol Col of CM Imm back for another talk - Asap - to explain this mess? I appreciate what your doing - but this situation is beyond stupid now. Well, at least in my humble opinion, which probably isn't worth a whole lot.

My Humble Opinion + 150฿ = One Startbuck's Latte Lol

The housemaster is responsible for filling out the form. A Thailand expert told me that immigration have not been successful at getting housemasters to fill out the form.

So therefore, harass the renter instead of the 'housemaster' because the renters are, well, just foreigners and are much easier targets. Something is really amiss here, wouldn't ya'll say? In many, many ways.

In Chiang Mai in on-line appointment queue has been stopped, but previously booked appointments are being honored, even if you don't have a confirmation printout. Go to the new office at Promenada for retirement extensions and the old one near the Airport for marriage extensions. Tell the I/O you're there a couple minutes before the time of your appointment.

On-line 90 day reporting seems to be hit-and-miss for Chiang Mai and no one seems to know quite why. It worked OK for Hubby, but not for me.

There was one report of someone being told that 90 day reporting by mail has been stopped in Chiang Mai, but that's it -- just one isolated report. It would make no sense to stop mail-in 90 day reporting -- it has been working so well. But little that Chiang Mai Immigration has been doing lately makes any sense at all.

Meanwhile, I'd suggest that Chiang Mai residents still mail-in their 90 day reports. Detailed instructions can be found in a pinned topic at the top of the Chiang Mai forum.

I've heard several reports of them pulling aside people who come in person to file 90 day reports to question them about the lack of TM 30 on file. Or doing home visits if the owner of the dwelling where they reside (like their wife) didn't file a TM 30. This is a one-time filing that until recently Immigration didn't seem to care about. They came to our condo building and talked with the Juristic Person Mgr about how some of the foreign renters didn't have TM30s on file and there are reports of home visits in Chiang Mai to people on retirement visas where this question has come up.

Here's a question for someone who's really up on their understanding of Thai Immigration processes. (Mario2008 UbonJoe ???)

Is my wife supposed to fill out a TM30 on me even thought I have a valid Foreign Tabian Baan (Yellow Book);

also

If renting, I thought it was the Rentor who was responsible for filing a TM30, not the Rentee. If that is the case, then why are Rentee's being harassed by Thai Immigration.

Seeing that things in CM Imm have degenerated into chaos, I'm personally not sure who or what to believe or think anymore, let alone actually understand.

Hey Nancy. How about inviting the Pol Col of CM Imm back for another talk - Asap - to explain this mess? I appreciate what your doing - but this situation is beyond stupid now. Well, at least in my humble opinion, which probably isn't worth a whole lot.

My Humble Opinion + 150฿ = One Startbuck's Latte Lol

Someone else had a situation like this. Go to whichever office that will be processing your extension and have them look up your appointment to get verification.

You'll either be a happy camper; or

You'll be booking a visa agent (or planning on standing in line at O-Dark thirty) hopefully without 5 agents in front of you with 4 passports each.

300,000 baht per camera seems a bit steep!

Hummm, you don't fully understand the Thai procurement model methinks, lol.

How Orwellian! Bravo. You've learned something from the Brits. Now work on putting cops in patrol cars and bringing your country's road death rate down to British standards.

Yes is it. For many reasons.

Roads and traffic

Look at any utility power pole its a mess of cables and almost always overloaded

Bureaucracy

Food storage - just look at how meat is presented at any market

Building standard or lack theroff

General workmanship on anything is poor, good work is the exception not the norm

In terms of sales, service or anything involving work people are reactive and not proactive

There thats a start.

I still like it here though

And add to that, rampant, pervasive corruption though all levels of society. The complete inability to maintain a stable government: Third World is being nice. Banana republic? Yep!

I posted this back in January. I contains the GPS coordinates and a Google Earth placemark.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/795428-work-permit-office-in-chiang-mai/

FYI - I would not assume that leaving a deposit locks in today's price. In fact, I would doubt that they could do that. If they price goes up in the next 24 hours (it just shot up about $8 but that means nothing) expect to pay more.

If the price goes down I would buy at the lower price or demand my deposit back and go buy it next door.

Then there was no reason to leave a deposit if it wasn't a lock on the price. There is a sucker in every crowd.

Those eggs look terrible and the beans look like AYA brand which any self respecting englishman would know they are too sweet and in the absence of real Heinz Baked beans the best substitute would be the BROOKS brand.

Using either would put the cost of the meal into the prohibitive range unless you had a really small portion and cut back on the quality of the sausages. I'm not a big lover of beans, but I like Ayam as good as any other non-Heinz brand. I've found that the lower salt ones taste better (when I put enough salt on them to make up for them not having any). Mr K, who doesn't even like salt to be in the kitchen concurs with me on this.

Anyway, as long as there is brown sauce it's immaterial; enough HP and they all taste the same.

Well, wait: they're a restaurant. Restaurants make food. How hard is it to make baked beans?

Not very.

Small navy beans are exceptionally cheap (30 baht for 500 gram dried when bought retail, which turns into well over a kilo cooked), then all you need to do is shove it in an oven with spices and sauces to your liking.

Even the relatively expensive HP sauce is something easily made when used as an ingredient for cooking.. Just mix dark vinegar, ketchup, palm or cane sugar, tamarind, pepper, etc. All of which cost round about nothing.

The whole reason why baked beans exist at all because they're cheap. So when in Asia, anything that would require spending money in importend Heinz/HP means you're doing it wrong.

(And it'll taste much better, but that's almost a side-effect. )

Where are you buying your beans. 30THB is a great price. Place I shop is 2x to 3x more.

Thank you very much minimaxx for your constructive post.

​"- Why do your parents have to move with you in the first place? May it be possible to try it out by your own for the first months?"

Politics and economy are changing dramatically in the EU. The EU is suppressing the people more and more by taxes etc. There might even be a war in Europe because the USA want to have a war with Russia. Recently the EU set up a law which allows the police to shoot demonstrators even if they are unarmed. That’s also a reason why I would like my parents to move away from Europe.

"- What are your reasons/expectations for/in opening A yoga studio IN Chiang Mai?"

Many yogis, lots of national parks so I can offer nature yoga retreats, food is growing very good, it’s very cheap, people are even more friendly than in the south and the climate is very good.

"- What are other possible options for the near future?"

Moving to New Zealand, Canada or Indonesia and opening a yoga retreat there.

I also made a huge list of pros and cons of living in Chiang Mai already that helped my parents a lot.

“All the best!“

Thank you!

@ Impulse

“Your parents have every reason to be afraid.”

What are those reasons?

“What's your plan for registering the business and getting yourself and your parents permission to live and work in Thailand?”

My parents have lots of savings, they are pensioners with a high pension and I have lots of savings as well. My parents wouldn’t have to work there so they could get a retirement visa and I would have to set up a company.

“Who will your 51% Thai owners be? Who will your Thai employees be? “

The Thai owner will be a good friend I know for many years or I heard that lawyers provide Thai people. Does somebody have experiences with that? My employees will be a Thai housemaid, cook and gardener. I guess people from Myanmar don’t count do they?

@NancyL

“What is scary is spending your retirement years running a business in Thailand where you pour your time, energy and money into a proposition that is doomed to failure.”

555, to summarise: you know pretty much nothing about me, my parents and our plans but you already know that our business would be doomed to failure à smart conclusions. I feel very lucky being able to judge things more differentiated and not having to live with a mindset like that. Thank you god and thank you for showing me how blessed I am!

“And your parents will be stuck in Hang Dong, where they'll be isolated from other people their own age and nationality.”

There are huge expat communities in Chiang Mai, many people who come to the yoga retreat will be their age and nationality. They can always invite friends, family or other interesting people to live at the resort.

“P.S. -- this is your dream, not theirs.”

I already wrote that my parents want to create a yoga retreat with me they also think it’s the thing to do.

@LarryBird

“There's a yoga studio on every corner now. It's the latest fad, (although an old one.)”

We don’t even have to make any money from the resort cause we have enough savings. We open the resort because we want to be around of other holistic and spiritual people if we would only have 10 students per month that’s totally fine. Besides we could also export dried and fresh organic fruits from our permaculture garden to first world countries many people are willing to pay lots of money for organic exotic fruits.

“Why can't you open a studio in Germany where you will have the benefit of a reasonable just system, culture, and competitors will look to actually compete with you, rather than find new and improved ways to report you to law enforcement?”

See above what I wrote about the EU, the judge system changed dramatically in Germany, foreigners who did honor killing or rapists got set free because it’s part of their culture and this is unfortunately not a single case. Many other things like that are happening as well.

“competitors will look to actually compete with you, rather than find new and improved ways to report you to law enforcement?”

Could you explain me this part again please?

@worgeordie

“So good luck with trying to get your parents to move here,especially

if you want them to invest in a business.”

Thanks for wishing me good luck my parents would not even have to invest their money it’s alright if they pay a small part from the rent of the house.

@arunsadka

“Agriculture is a prohibited profession for foreigners so these competitors may grass you to the labor department for example if you are seen working in the garden instead of Thai employee.”

Wow, I didn’t know about that. The work I’m planning to do in the garden would probably be just enough to feed my parents and me so I guess that’s legit but I still can imagine that it might cause troubles.

“Don't forget the crooked policemen who will stop by regularly to fleece every Pfennig they can bleed from you.”

I didn’t think about them as well :/ Do you think they even demand protection money from yoga resorts?

@CNXBKKMAN

“I would say do it but dont invest more than your happy to lose, profits could be slim or non at all? Would you still be happy doing it if that was the outcome?”

Yeah, I do it mainly to live together with my parents in a warm country with other interesting people having the same interests as us and eating lots of organic fresh food and you are right, we are a vegetarian family.

@elgordo38

“A lot of good advice in the above post and baby steps is the best idea start small.”

I agree baby steps are the way to go.

I think Peru would be a better choice for you. Trust me on that.

I'd suggest your parent (and you) find I different country to open your business in. This is not a foreigner friendly place. Yeah, it's pretty, but so are a lot of other locations in this very large world.

Anyway, have you done your business plan yet. Do you know how many yoga places already are here in Chiang Mai. What's going to set you apart from the masses?

Well, that is unless you are a certified Iyengar instructor, in which case I'll be one of your first students. Lol

If your pet was a human, euthanasia would be accomplished by withholding water and food, and allowing the dog to die in agony.