Stocky

I don't think it's particularly 'woke', whatever that is, to say that Indigenous Australians have had the <deleted>ty end of the stick since 1788. That they seem to have found a voice to say so is probably about time.

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.

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.

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.

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

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?

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.

We've postponed our UK trip until next year, I received a work offer I couldn't refuse. Still unsure as to how much paperwork is actually essential for the application given the wife has had visas granted previously.

Exactly. Not all Israelis are Jews, and not all Jews are Israelis. And criticism of Israel isn't antisemitism.

Anything available would have all been snapped up by friends & family long before the announcement.

If you bought your wife a house you don't need a rental agreement, just a copy of the Tabian Baan that shows your wife is the Home Owner

That I believe is the intention. Oil terminals/Tank Farms at either end connected by pipeline(s). https://www.thaipbsworld.com/transport-minister-vows-to-press-ahead-with-land-bridge-mega-project/ .

I guess people want to come and see it before it gets paved over with the land bridge megaproject.

Someone who walks around Pattaya with near 5oz of gold strung around their neck at 1.30am needs their head examining.

They wouldn't know their arse from their elbow. A few years back they put out some nonsense about Thailand's huge gold mineral resources. It's all pie in the sky. Even if Thailand had a mining culture, with clear laws on licencing and security of tenure, the gap between something being simply prospective, to a bankable resource, and then an actual mine is five to ten years given fair winds. The debacle with the Junta and Kingsgate Mining/Chatree Gold did nothing to instil confidence in foreign companies and investors considering Thailand as target for exploration and mining. There's a next to zero chance of any lithium mining in Phang-nga.

Correct. The digital arrival form only asks for an email address, not a physical one.

Another day, another hub. Hub-tastic!

Evidence of what? Have you ever lived in a Muslim country, do you ever socialise with Muslims, have you even talked to a Muslim?! .

Hat Yai seem slightly hit and miss with the billing, though that might be down to our postman. Our bill is about Bht1,300 per year for the house/land not sure if it's a property tax or ground rates?

Again you simply demonstrate your appalling ignorance.

And if you had a scintilla of understanding you would know that it isn't a 'jihad', it's about recognising the injustice of a border imposed on communities without their having any say in the matter. Local leaders calls for at least a level of autonomy for the Patani region, and a recognition of the Jawi language, have long been ignored, resulting in a some resorting to violence as a means to force change. Yes the Patani region is predominantly Muslim, over 80%, but the conflict is about recognising the Thai-Malay community, it's language and culture, a community that has found itself part of Thailand rather than Malaysia, because of an agreement reached between the British Empire and the Kingdom of Siam 115 years ago in which they had no say.

Not if you can't get to the toilet!

You can eat very well in Hat Yai, there's a huge range of cuisines from Thai, particularly spicy Southern Thai, Thai-Chinese, Chinese, Malay, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and European - though a bit short on Indian restaurants. Many Malaysian visitors to Hat Yai are Chinese Malaysian, so there are a lot of Thai-Chinese restaurants, and in general the food in these restaurants is excellent; Hat Yai has a large Thai-Chinese community. Not really sure you can identify 'Muslim' food specifically, many restaurants in Hat Yai are halal, regardless the cuisine, to attract a wider customer base. Hat Yai Nai, the community I live in which has a big Muslim population, certainly serves a lot of fried chicken, and there are numerous roti shops, but a lot of the food is recognisably Thai, you just won't find pork as an option for your pad kra pao. Note: As someone who lived and worked in both Malaysia and Indonesia, and has a great love of beef rendang, I've yet to find rendang in Hat Yai. .

Muslims rattled your cage again. Try learning some local history before spouting the same garbage.