Stocky

2 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

I agree, they should follow the example set by the West who have magnificent economies.

The west is no example to follow! Thailand needs to do what's right for Thailand. 

2 hours ago, MarcelV said:

Don't worry. That bridge will never happen.

Problem is people will get money for it

The Phitsanulok conurbation is actually about 7,500 hectares.

So an estimated population of about 600,000.

1 hour ago, uttradit said:

Phitsanulok looks about 6000sqm by 6,000 so 36,000.

There's a option in the menu for polygon, use that and you can trace an outline and get an accurate area.

Under style select outline only

Measurement gives you a selection of units

I went through Sunday two weeks (Jan 14th) back similar time. Only one escalator going down from security to immigration then, but it wasn't chaos. Lots of people yes, and the automatic gates didn't seem to be in use, but there were airport staff directing people, all the desks were manned and it didn't take more than 15 minutes to clear immigration.

6 minutes ago, uttradit said:

Phitsanulok looks about 6000sqm

I'd agree with that, 6,000 hectares (not sqm), so a population of around half a million.

.

45 minutes ago, mikebike said:

No, the number for Surat metro area is about right. The one I question is NST. The metro area is WAY more than 100k.

The issue is Thailand doesn't publish metro area population figures, indeed it doesn't define any metropolitan areas apart from Bangkok. So you either aggregate the population numbers for the various districts that comprise the Amphur yourself, or rely on sources like Google that already have. Even then the numbers can fail to properly represent reality because often the Amphur doesn't encompass the whole metropolitan area, because it's been broken up into several Amphur for easier administration (job creation). Google sometimes has a go at suggesting the total metropolitan area, but not always.

Looking at the size of NST on satellite images it covers an area of about 2,000 hectares. Based on population numbers given above and physical size of metropolitan areas I've measured, on average 1,000 hectares equates to 80,000 population for a city development. On that basis I would estimate NST has a population of about 160,000.

So using that formula I'd estimate populations as follows:

• Bangkok 250,000 hectares = 20 million
• Chiang Mai 15,000 hectares = 1.2 million
• Nakhon Ratchasima 12,000 hectares = 960,000
• Hat Yai 10,000 hectares = 800,000
• Pattaya 7,000 hectares =  560,000
• Phuket 6,500 hectares = 520,000
• Udon Thani 6,500 hectares = 520,000
• Khon Kaen 6,200 hectares = 496,000
• Surat Thani 6,000 hectares = 480,000
• Ubon Ratchathani 3,500 hectares = 280,000
• Chiang Rai 3,000 hectares = 240,000
• Ayutthaya 2,000 hectares = 160,000
• Nakhon Si Thammarat 2,000 hectares = 160,000
• Lampang 2,000 hectares = 160,000
• Songkhla 1,500 hectares = 120,000
• Trang 1,000 hectares = 80,000
• Pai 500 hectares = 40,000

16 hours ago, uttradit said:

Phitsanulok?

Mukdahan?

Nakhon Phanom?

Hua Hin?

Krabi?

Lamphun?

Chiang Dao?

Nan?

Uttradit?

Surin?

Burilam?

 

Google Earth is free to use, I'm not about to chase them all up, but would suggest they all lie in the 1000 to 2000 hectare range.

And they want to spend how much on that bridge to nowhere?

Clearly Phatthalung has more pressing needs than an expensive bridge of little use.

On 1/25/2024 at 1:32 PM, SiSePuede419 said:

==============================

Thailand Population (by metro area, per Google)

==============================

============================================

Thailand Metropolitan Areas by Size (per Google Earth)

============================================

• Bangkok 250,000 hectares
• Chiang Mai 15,000 hectares
• Nakhon Ratchasima 12,000 hectares
• Hat Yai 10,000 hectares
• Pattaya 7,000 hectares
• Phuket 6,500 hectares
• Udon Thani 6,500 hectares
• Khon Kaen 6,200 hectares
• Surat Thani 6,000 hectares
• Ubon Ratchathani 3,500 hectares
• Chiang Rai 3,000 hectares
• Ayutthaya 2,000 hectares
• Nakhon Si Thammarat 2,000 hectares
• Lampang 2,000 hectares
• Songkhla 1,500 hectares
• Trang 1,000 hectares
• Pai 500 hectares (and that's being generous)

This is just the visual footprint, city densities vary considerably, Chiang Mai for example sprawls over a wide area, but much of it is low density, low rise.

3 hours ago, newnative said:

Totally agree.  No way is Pattaya a suburb of Bangkok.   Greater Pattaya has become its own metro area, with it's own satellites.

There's not many gaps left to fill between Bangkok, Bang Pakong, Amata Nakhon, Chonburi, Leam Chabang and Pattaya. And yes, if you measure the urban sprawl that is Pattaya it covers nearly 7,000 hectares, so bigger than Surat Thani.

50 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

I have the SCB app

As do I, like other banking apps, on completion of a successful transfer it generates a transaction record that is saved to your phone, it also gives you the option to share that receipt.

13 hours ago, uttradit said:

I don't believe any of the population numbers.

If you don't believe the population numbers just use Google Earth and the polygon tool to measure the size of the urban area for each. By that metric Chiang Rai covers some 3,000 hectares, Surat Thani 6,000 and Hat Yai about 10,000. By comparison the greater Bangkok area covers over 250,000 hectares.

10 hours ago, uttradit said:

Hat Yai is smaller than Surat but bigger than Chiang Rai. Traffic in Hat Yai isn't bad. Surat is the biggest city in the south based on experience. I don't believe any of the population numbers.

No. Hat Yai is the largest metropolitan area in the south.

I don't think Chiang Rai is anywhere near that big, the total population for the province is only 1.2 million, I don't think the Chiang Rai 'metropolitan area' is more than 250k.

Ditto Surat Thani, that's probably about the same size or smaller.

1 hour ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Yeah, never been there but heard Hat Yai resembles Bangkok but without the train system and so much traffic.

 

Really?

 

Seems like it would be even more humid than Bangkok and fewer people would walk...?!?

No, very little resemblance to Bangkok.

Hat Yai's a new town, just 100 years old, it sprung up with the building of the railway, the city is fairly low rise and laid out on a grid pattern, so quite easy to navigate. But it sprawls extending from Kho Hong in the east where Prince of Songkhla University campus and university hospital sit, across to Khuan Lang in the west and the airport, and north to Khlong Hae and the road to Songkhla town.

Yes it's humid down south, but it's easy to walk around the central city area, there are good pavements and the buildings, like many towns in Malaysia, are built with an overhanging storey to provide some shade and to give cover during the monsoon season.

How these numbers are derived is anyone's guess, but Hat Yai smaller than Surat Thani, Phuket and Chiang Rai, I don't think so.

1 hour ago, hotandsticky said:

They need their own passport, so they need their own visa in it. Another £120 unfortunately 

I realise that, but previously the application form had space for dependants travelling with. So they got their own visa in their own passport but their application was dependant on the parent/guardian so only one application form.

3 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Just as the local community was ignored in PM Prayut's creation of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).

Or the local people of Chana (Songkhla) who oppose the Chana Industrial City Project, though that's still being contested. 

2 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

It is stated that any documents in Thai should be translated (an Indian ECO sitting in New Delhi probably can't read Thai).

That's the change from  8 years ago. Now you have to upload the documents to India, last time we just took them with us.

If our granddaughter comes with us, does her application still go on my wife's application as she's a minor, or is everything replicated again in a separate application?

16 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

I submitted 4 pieces of paper in support of the application for my missus.

 

My sponsor letter

My bank statement

My P60

Translated copy of a chanote (probably unnecessary)

That's pretty similar to what I've given before (8 years ago) for the wife's last 5 year visa

• My sponsor letter explaining trip and that I was covering costs
• My bank statement (6 months)
• Letter from my then employer in Indonesia
• Marriage certificate
• Chanote for house

Last two untranslated as it was VFS Thailand doing the vetting.

I'm now semi-retired so there will be no letter from an employer.