jcb2001

Siem Reap in Cambodia is the only place I have been asked for money at immigration in an international airport outside of Africa in over ten years. My Thai gf was also asked, as were every Korean I saw passing through with us.

In Phnom Penh there are signs everwhere that say, 'nothing to pay here.' I did not see any such signs in Siem Reap last month.

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Last year at Siem Reap paid nothing but the official charge and the Thai girlfriend paid nothing

I've been visiting Cambodia for over 15 years and it was the first time I've been asked at an airport.

They have tried it with me several times at Poipet though.

I wondered why the Koreans in front of me were handing over US$ while getting their passports stamped, and when it was my turn the guy said "three dollar". I replied "no money" and there was a stand off for 30 seconds while he repeatedly asked me again for three dollars. He realised I wasn't going to cave and threw my passport back at me in disgust. He also asked my Thai gf who was next in line and she also refused to pay.

I know several expats living in Siem Reap and apparently it is a common tactic.

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Wow, you got pretty big balls to mess with a Cambodian immigration officer over $3. Could have turned nasty and into an international incident. There are many ways he could have made your life miserable for not complying with his request. Glad things worked out for you.

You right regarding the issue. " bullet was fired by a soldier" But they can make test and examinations, if they got the bullet, to see if it match the weapon soldiers used.

Yeah the bullet was or should I say supposed to be army ordnance, in Thailand you could never be sure Jes.

Regardless of mass-production, no two usage patterns for any gun - and therefore the condition of the rifling inside the barrel - are going to be absolutely identical. With the right gear and expertise bullets can be matched to individual guns by examining the rifling marks.

My concern is: Does Thailand really have this technology?

Just curious, is anyone aware of an aircraft larger than a B-737 or A-320 landing at Ubon airport. Will the runway support a B-757 or 767?

Some very high strung fillies!

If Ubon accepts flights from South Korea, then an immigration bureau has to be set up at the Ubon airport to inspect arriving passengers. This is a big investment to be made by the Thai government.

I don't think there are any foreign flights currently arriving now at Ubon. Is the Thai gov't willing to expend this money for 1 flight from Korea? I don't think so as Business Air is under no obligation to continue flights if it is not a successful route. A very big gamble for AOT!

Maybe there are other airlines wanting to arrive international in Ubon. Usually, once the gate opens up for international travel at an airport, other flights follow. A tough decision for AOT.

Why can't the opposition just keep quiet and allow the government to get on with misruling the country? Stop creating conflict with all this reporting of so called price rises. The government should be closing down any website, suing any person, or group, responsible, and sending a red rapid response team to ensure that it stops. And, in line with recent actions, will probably start doing so very soon. I for one think there's not enough of Yingluck in the media. Her trip to Japan should have received 24 hour live coverage on every channel, and surely there's space for another billboard or two with her picture on it on the highway to the airport? Any opposition slots need to be taken over and replaced with our dear sister leader.

Love your sarcasim

Sorry Pheu Thai, but Thailand is facing real inflation now. 4 months ago, Pork at Big C was selling for 95 baht a kilo. Yesterday, the price is 159 baht.

Has anyone ever driven the new highway from Ubon to Da Nang? Any experiences?

Wait till they see Thailand's next economic outlook report and they may think twice about investing in Thailand.

Exept for the Farang-Tourist-Spots: There Is no nightlife in the rest of Thailand as far as the Farangs understanding of night-life is concerned.

So, Farangs that have grown to like the night-life, are probably ill-advised to move to rural Thailand. Even if this move is strongly recommended by a third party. (the third party is usually the Thai-GF, as I was told).

But if the Farang is willing and able to reduce his "night-life-desires" to:

- Go to the local Karaoke (Where people in uniform get free treatement in the backroom, all others have to pay).

.

Not sure I understand? Can anyone explain? I must lead a pretty sheltered life.

Well, if the OP did not get anything out of this discussion, I sure did! Thanks everybody for your input.

Renting a nice new car for 6Weeks seems the way to go for the OP. .

I think you will be pleasantly surprised when you check out Budget Car Rental at Swampy (main airport). My son rented a new Toyota 2 door truck with diesel with unlimited miles and was very happy to pay about 1200 baht a week. This was about 3 years ago. Don't think the prices have gone up that much.

All this hot Bangkok money!

It'll all end in tears unless lots of hot Bangkok people move out here. With agriculture on the up there will be no rush from (the already depleted village) to town in Isaan, which is the classic engine for fuelling urban development.

Good chance there will be some nice cheap commercial and domestic properties for investment in about 5 years time I would say.

"we're all doomed captain"!

A very sobering and troublesome thought.

They are building a private hospital next to us in Kham yai and opposite there is going to be a new police station. Lost going on around us at the moment. New housing development across the chayangkul rd 70+ rai I hear to be started by Mrs Sunee if it goes ahead. I guess it will as all the businesses around there have been kicked out before land is cleared.

Can you be more specific about where in Kham Yai the new hospital and police station will be built?

if you are American it is illegal to enter on your 2nd passport without telling the officials. i bet it is the same in Thailand. just saying.

Never heard that one before. Are you sure about that?

If you're thinking that she can just stop renewing her Thai passport every 5 years to save 1000 Baht (or 200 Baht a year) because surely a Thai ID card is enough to enter Thailand at an airport then you / your wife have got another thing coming.

I once left my Thai passport on a flight coming back from the UK and my Thai ID card was stored in my luggage which I could not access; maybe it was just my misfortune to run into some jobsworths but it resulted in several hours of bureaucratic buggery that do not wish to ever repeat.

She can't go to ASEAN or Russia for 30 days visa-free on a British passport like she can on a Thai passport either.

Wikipedia : Visa requirements for Thai citizens.

Is it ok if you have your ID?

I know it's OK for a British citizen to enter the UK without a passport.

You can get through immigration with just an ID card, but being on the wrong side of the immigration desk at an airport with just an ID card is a big hassle and gives bigoted, narrow minded and xenophobic immigration officers a field day.

Like the gentleman said in a earlier post, you are required to have passport to get on the plane to travel to your home. Airlines get fined big time for boarding an undocumented passenger, regardless of nationality. I have heard of other people being turned away at the ticket counter for expired or lost passports. But, I have seen embassies issuing "Travel letters" that allow a passenger to board the plane so the airlines will not be fined for boarding a passenger without a passport.

I just don't get this nonsense as she has not been transformed in the least, she's still naive, still a puppet. Of course she was sane when she read the speech in Mongolia but probably didn't understand a word or the implications and to tell her brother to wait, don't make me laugh.

Where else but Thailand would you get a call for the supposed national leader to go back to her old giggling self ?

I'd love to be a fly on the cabinet office wall when she Skyped Mr.T and told him to be patient as all good things come etc. I think she would be reminded in short order that they have already been told what the only priority is so get on with it. That's the polite version of course.

The Bring Back Thaksin theme is heating up because Pheu Thai only has 2 more years to accomplish this monumental task. Time is running out and Thaksin is letting everybody know.

Not red enough? Someone is trying to bury her under the bus.

This election will be decided by money and Pheu Thai wants this seat really bad.

Once again, lawlessness prevails and only red shirt law dominates the city.

"Red-shirt guards used barriers and trucked to block the both inbound and outbound Rajdamri Road for setting up a stage."

http://nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Red-shirts-rally-at-Rajprasong-Rajdamri-Road-close-30206465.html

Might as well tell the police to go home and let the red guard police the rally.

I saw a sign for "Ubon Aquarium" outside. Did I miss that? I hope that by aquarium they didn't mean that crappy fish pond in the mall with only 3 small windows in it.

I expect the fish will all die after all the kids,(thinking they need to feed the fish) throw their leftover food in the tank.

Seems doomed to failure. And how do they plan to re-charge the batteries during a pit stop? I heard something about wireless charge. I don't think the fan's pucker level will be very high. No engine noise = low excitement.

so on the one side PTP have said they do not recognize the authority of the constitutional court reference the constitutional amendment and ordered their brown sorry red shirts mob to get judges dismissed. But now all is good because they are after Abhisit even though the rank dismissal is still pending court action... super

Just watch what happens if the court rules in Abhisit's favour.

+1 a petty move to get AV out of the picture so Thaksin can come back without hinderance.