joe84330

Went to the amphur in udon and the big boss couldn't figure out why immigration was refusing to process my extension. Ultimately paid 3,000thb for the uniformed stooges in udon to correct the error that the stooges in Samui made.

You have been extorted or have bribed. At the amphoe corrections are free or 20 Baht.

Entirely possible. I wasn't there at the amphur when this happened. Also possible that corrections are cheap or free if done at the same office where the error was made and more expensive at another office. I'm guessing someone pocketed 3k at my expense though because that's just less than a 1 way ticket and convenience factor is high

Udon immigration said they wouldn't process my extension just a few days ago because the amphur in Samui spelled my middle name wrong on one of my kids birth certificates. She said we'd have to fly to Samui to have it corrected.

Note that I have 3 kids born here to a Thai mother and that the spelling error is only on one birth certificate.

Went to the amphur in udon and the big boss couldn't figure out why immigration was refusing to process my extension. Ultimately paid 3,000thb for the uniformed stooges in udon to correct the error that the stooges in Samui made.

"Because Thailand"

thanks for the info.

as a follow up, i'm assuming that by "You can save time and money by filing here, as long as you haven't left Thailand within the last six months." that you are referring to some extended period of time and that a visa run to vientiane does not affect the process?

http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/A1en.pdf

found this but it's a much different process and cost than what i read before. still looking.

green card is for permanent residency. since the wife and son are immediate family members there is no lottery or waiting in line as i understand it. it's supposed to be a standard fill out forms, pay, interview and wait up to 3 months for the visa. i read somewhere in the past that her visa/green card would be just a bit over 900usd but now i can't find that same link anywhere.

thai wife and i have been together almost 9 years now. she has a 13 year old son who has been living with us for around 6 years. wife and i have 2 kids together, 3 and 6.

i'd like to take them all to the states next year and am curious about the visa process. as i understand it, due to living here in thailand for the last 9 years i can apply for her green card in bkk, rather than sending the application to the u.s. i've read that the fee is a bit over 900 usd and should only take around 3 months versus 9 months or more if we applied in the u.s.

what about the 13 year old son? i will be adopting him, but that's a long process as i understand it and others here have said it's better to go the green card route for him first rather than waiting for the thai wheels to spin.

the process for the youngest two kids is pretty straightforward, show up at the embassy in bkk, fill out forms, pay some money and presto they are u.s. citizens.

i'm not interested in tourist visas, prefer to go the citizenship route. if anyone could offer suggestions or tips on how and where to start the process for the wife and son it would be appreciated.

just looking for information about the sport of disc golf and course information in Thailand. currently it looks like there are two separate 9 hole courses on Koh Samui, one permanent 9 hole and one temporary in Udon Thani as well as a course in the making on Koh Mak.

if you know of another disc golf course in Thailand, please let me know.

great, i only want to take my son there with me for one week and have sourced a pretty good direct flight and want to book it by tomorrow. thanks

hi, can anyone confirm that Thai's are still on the visa on arrival list for Japan?

relocating just a few miles outside the city, on a main highway, in a few weeks time. any fiber optic options for internet up there or are we stuck with adsl?

i'm simply expanding upon your limited idea of income, and offering another signed document that you would already use on an annual basis for reference. do you understand that the IRS is required by law to accept your return based upon your signature? it's insulting that you think i am suggesting anyone lie to the embassy. if you have an option to keep your money safe and sound and at a higher rate of return rather than transferring it over here in exchange for nothing other than a document, then that is the easiest, fastest, safest and most profitable thing to do.

btw, the thai immigration official who accepts money under the table is committing a criminal act.

Not everyone has income to verify!

for the purposes of staying here, insurance payments/inheritance/social security/lottery winnings/pension etc all qualify as income.

Yes, though inheritance/lottery winnings, etc. is pushing it as those are typically one time events. Really, many of us do NOT have income. It's the truth.

structured trusts and annual payments for lottery winnings are commonplace for tax planning purposes. in addition, it's not the embassies job to verify the source or amount of income it is based entirely on your signature on the form. no different than a tax return.

Not everyone has income to verify!

for the purposes of staying here, insurance payments/inheritance/social security/lottery winnings/pension etc all qualify as income.

easiest way is just to go to the embassy and have them provide you with an income verification letter. that can and will work in place of any deposit requirements, have many friends in the same situation who have done and continue to do just that. personally i wouldn't transfer that kind of money over here unless you are getting a better return and security than you would in the states.

penang is the closest consulate, if you prefer to travel then KL or singapore are both nice for a price.

hey Jimmy, neem is a fungicide as well but like anything else it can only prevent from the start or stop something in its tracks. if your plant or tree is already damaged, nothing is going to reverse it. better to get the neem/vinegar on the plant first and then prune it to be sure.

apple cider vinegar which i mentioned above is also a fungicide. not more than 1 or at most 2 tbsp per gallon of water though or else you end up with an herbicide.

i remember more than a year or so ago asking around in here for neem oil and it was astonishingly difficult to find for something that turned out to be so readily available. have a large tree near my house. i don't buy neem at any nurseries any more because they tend to mix it with growth hormone in one case or other insecticides in others. i just want neem (sadao) and i'll address the other issues when and if they present themselves.

if you can get the fruit, that's perhaps the best and strongest to use but the leaves in my experience work very well too. in fact the next time i start a garden project here the mulch will be primarily neem leaves.

keeping your soil healthy and alive is the best cure for any disease.

btw i would handle any caterpillars you find in that tree with care. there are plenty of poisonous caterpillars here on samui. probably a year ago a couple of them found their way into my hand when i was carrying away some pruned branches and they left thousands of poisonous hairs in my hand, my hand was swollen and itchy for a month after.

my neighbor wasn't so lucky, he was pruning one of his trees and one of the caterpillars fell onto his face. he needed immediate medical attention and almost lost an eye.

*backs away from tree slowly, never taking eyes off of it...

agreed, a simple sprayer may not be the solution. do we have any arborists on samui?

do you have a high pressure sprayer? you can pick them up at home pro for a few thousand bath and they'll let you mix up a solution (i prefer natural or organic always but i have kids to think about) of neem and tobacco and i guarantee no bug in that tree will survive it. good bug or bad bug doesn't matter, you can make organic "nuclear blast solutions" that will leave nothing but leaves behind. you'll still have to deal with the roots though because those leaves don't look particularly deficient, they look systemically rotten. personally i would fill up one of those 99 baht (75L or so?) black bins from tesco/home pro with sadao leaves and fruit and then start adding water, cover it and let it sit for a day or two and then start siphoning off the water around the base of the tree. refill the sadao barrel with water and then repeat.

that is considering you are emotionally invested in this tree.

The ignorance on display here is overwhelming. Laws are supposed to apply to both the rich and connected as well as the poor but as soon as one of the rich guys gets arrested all of a sudden the USA is a police state. Clooney expected to get arrested as part of the publicity he wants for the issue. It's a worthy issue, I'm just wondering why Obama hasn't acted on it yet? I bet Clooney expected something to be done soon after Inauguration Day 2009 and he must be disappointed today. As for there being no oil there, there wasn't any oil when we went into Somalia back in 1992 to feed people and there wasn't any oil in Bosnia when we had to go in to stop the genocide in the mid-90's. Most people here already knew that.

i suspect he's making plans right now to send in matt damon and angelina jolie. obviously matt damon can handle the sudanese warlords on his own but with angelina there it will be quicker, and she'll have time to track down and kill joseph kony. sean penn was offered a chance to go with them but relented, accepting instead a leading role in the lifetime tv drama which will be made upon their return.

Good luck with that. Throw a stick in Pattaya and you'll likely hit two or three farang who look just like him!

agreed, and with an equal number of pending charges as well.

I spoke with the local Tessaban Representative who is in charge of Bophut. That area also falls under his jurisdiction. The money was allocated a while back. Also spoke about all the cameras around the place. So if you ever have a mishap check with your local police station.

it's funny because some of my staff just came in (road work directly in front of our offices) and said "election time is coming" referring to all the road work. she went on to say that she's already taken money from "both sides". my caution that people don't pay this money without some expectations fell on deaf ears. get ready for another round of bar closings lol

Well I was told about the resurfacing & the budget allocation about 3 months ago.I do not think a resurfacing action on one part of the island will do much for the election.

555 what better way to sell an effort than to delay action until the next decision has to be made? personally i wouldn't expect much from the road or the election.

I spoke with the local Tessaban Representative who is in charge of Bophut. That area also falls under his jurisdiction. The money was allocated a while back. Also spoke about all the cameras around the place. So if you ever have a mishap check with your local police station.

it's funny because some of my staff just came in (road work directly in front of our offices) and said "election time is coming" referring to all the road work.

she went on to say that she's already taken money from "both sides". my caution that people don't pay this money without some expectations fell on deaf ears.

get ready for another round of bar closings lol

I hope you are not more confused than before!

Not at all. I think! It was pruned/hacked when I was away last December. And last month a couple of dead branches fell down. So the fungus thing/idea seems to make sense. The leaves are not falling normally. Couple of weeks back it was the odd one or two, now it is whole bunches - some stuck together with caterpillars inside. And shrubs underneath seem to be losing leaves too. Once they have been munched to bits! Only have a small garden, but don't want it spreading further. Will speak to the owner and see if we can get it inspected. Thanks for the thoughts SJ!

we have some fantastic insecticide/fungicides growing and/or readily available right here. chances are you have a sadao (neem) tree growing very close to you, they are all over this area and of course there is the sadao border to the south for a reason. neem is fantastic because it becomes a part of the plant and any chewing or biting pests will slowly die off after eating a leaf.

garlic is also very good, crush it up and put it in some warm water with regular dish soap and put that into a sprayer attached to a hose and you are all set. also, you can go down to 7-11 and get a pouch or two of cigarette tobacco (unrolled), this is perhaps one of the best of all times for killing off undesireable bugs, just don't put it on your garden veggies without checking first for compatibility.

a splash of apple cider vinegar in some water is also very effective and most importantly, natural.

when it comes to watering the plants or flowers i follow one rule, lawn at night and veggies/flowers/trees in the early morning.

excellent coverage almost everywhere but not in bangpo last time i tried.

have 3g at my home in bang por, entire north coast is covered

i'm not sure about lamai, but mae nam is covered pretty well by dtac 3g. we just did a thread here on this recently.