BarnicaleBob

Many here have posted good suggestions about the police problem. What most do not understand is that the Royal Thai Police are set up much differently than police in Western countries.

When a Thai becomes a policeman here he has two levels at which he can enter into the service. One is to start as an enlisted police officer with no rank the other is to start out as a sub lieutenant the lowest rank of commissioned police officer. To be a commissioned officer one usually is required to have a college or university degree and it is that position that many pay a gratuity to someone high up to obtain where as an enlisted police officer need not pay.

There in lays the problem. Commissioned offers do not start at the bottom as enlisted policemen and never really get the opportunity to work at that level. Whereas in the West almost all police officers start at the bottom and work their way up which gives them a broader base of experience and knowledge.

In conclusion the whole system needs to change. Every officer must start at the bottom and work their way up obtaining additional training as they prepare to advance. Then promotions will be based upon experience, time in service, education, performance evaluations and promotional exams.

In making this change the Royal Thai Police force would find their police officers to be more capable of taking on greater responsibilities and policing much more efficiently thus requiring fewer police officers to get the job done.

They will never be a truly professional force until they make these changes and increase the base pay and training.

The place in Doi Saket that Nienke suggested is a good place for you to get this repair. Pom who is the owner used to live in America and speaks very good English. It is located across the road from the Horizons Resort and about 300 meters back toward Chiang Mai. It sits next to a car wash. Here is the GPS on the location: 18.854411, 99.095893

I have had four accidents in the past five years here. Two were my fault and two were not. In all cases I contacted my first class insurance company and a rep. responded to the scene is short order and sorted everything out for me. Lucky for me we called the insurance company and not the police for the two accidents I was at fault and everything was taken care of. In one of those cases the insurance rep asked that I pay the hospital about 2,000 baht for the lady I injured treatment so she could be treated right away and promised it would be refunded to me within a week and it was.

In one case where I was not at fault and the police investigated, I was informed that I would have to appear at a police hearing the following Friday for the judgement as to who was at fault. I was concerned about this because I have major damage to my car and the two men on the motorcycle that hit me had both been hospitalized for a few days. The insurance rep. showed up for the hearing to represent me and I was found not at fault while the driver of the motorcycle was fined.

On years I've had accidents that were not my fault my insurance rates did not go up but on years I had accidents that were my fault my rates did increase a couple of thousand baht.

I have found that by always carrying photocopies of my passport, insurance, vehicle registration and drivers license in my car, I only have to hand that to the policeman and insurance rep. and everything is handled without any problems. Never hand over the originals, let them see them but give them signed copies, that will also save you a trip to the police station for copying.

I now also have a dash cam and found it has improved my driving because I am aware that someone may be looking at it someday. No accidents since getting the camera, I guess it has sorted out my bad driving habits 555.

Do not wait until tomorrow, do not wait five minutes, get to the hospital right now. I've had two good friends die from this. GO TO THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW.

I was in the same position like you 4 years ago, starting my retirement life in Chiang Mai. Yes, buying and/or renting with a real estate agent will be more expensive that doing with the help of interested Thai local people. In my opinion, the best move is to rent a very nice furnished studio on one of the many Condo-Hotels, called Service Apartment, In a good location will be from 6000thb to 8000thb/month for at least 6 months contract. Many in Neeman area, Doi Suthep Road area, and close to the Chiang Mai University....very easy tuktuk acces to all the city. That rental agreement is good enough to prove local address for immigration. That will give you time to look for a more permanent place, to meet helful local friends, and make your mind about your final destination. In my case..I started in Chiang Mai and ended in Lampang, close enough to Chiang Mai and other nice cities, and was the best move at that time. Buy?...only after you really know that Thailand will be your permanente residence and exactly where and why....Drive?..never....specially in busy cities. Found friends with transportation to tour you around, and do not take the risk of an accident..Needs referrals?..let me know.

The advice umbanda gave you is very good. So all I can say is that I agree with it, Six months in a serviced apartment would be wise and give you time to learn where the nice areas are that you may want to move to permanently later. Also try looking in the Thaivisa classified section, you may find something for rent by an owner.

We are currently arranging a wedding for our daughter and it looks like it will come to be about 75,000 to 100,000. This includes rental of a hall at a very nice resort for the wedding, bridal company fees for arranging it all and for providing rental clothing, morning breakfast for family and token gifts for 150 guests.

Why not sell them at 7-11 and other continence stores. A computerized sales machine that printed the tickets would eliminate all possibilities of corruption. After all you can do everything else at a 7-11 here.

A submerged dead body will decay and the gases produced from the decay will cause the body to float to the surface generally on the third day after death.

When I turned 65 I took the AARP Medicare Complete plan which costs the same as medicare but has a few more benefits, one being it covers you while traveling overseas for the first 90 days of your trip only and then only for emergencies. But that is better than nothing, at least you can get patched up until you can get back Stateside if something happens within the first 90 days. I go back once a year to get all my major exams and needed care. I've had two knee replacement surgeries, and several smaller things on my visits to the States over the past few years and so far I've had no problems with it

I received the below information from the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai and thought the Americans in Chiang Rai would be interested in it:

Consular Services Outreach in Chiang Rai on Friday, September 12, 2014

A Message to all U.S. Citizens in the Chiang Rai Area:

Consular staff from the U.S. Consulate General in Chiang Mai will conduct a consular visit to Chiang Rai on Friday, September 12, 2014. We will be available to provide services in the morning, and will announce the hours and location of service in a follow-up message which we will also post on our website at http://chiangmai.usconsulate.gov.

The following consular services will be available:

n Passport renewal applications

n Notarial services

n Social Security or other federal benefits questions

n General voter registration information for the upcoming U.S. elections

NOTE: We are sorry that we cannot accept applications for Consular Reports of Birth Abroad or for additional visa pages in passports. Applicants must come to Chiang Mai for these services.

Appointments are not needed for these consular services in Chiang Rai. Also, please consult our website, under the US Citizen Services tab, for information on fees for specific services. We cannot accept credit cards, and all services must be paid in cash (Thai Baht or U.S. Dollars). You will also find information regarding documentation you are required to present for passport renewals, including specific requirements for passport renewals for minors. You will also find the common forms of notarials on our website, although we will have general blank forms available for you to complete on arrival. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you on September 12.

Sincerely,

U.S. Citizen Services

U.S. Consulate General

Chiang Mai, Thailand

The party will be starting at 3:00 PM.

Its pointless surely. My guess is they have seen western designed hospitals with H on the roof and think its a decorative feature.

Can you really see a copter landing on a superhighway, winching a man down Doi Suthep or airlifting the next high rise jump candidate.

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There is a helipad on Doi Suthep with room for three helicopters to land, it is just a little past the temple on the left.

No on the U.S. Consulate fireworks and yes for the River Market fireworks.

Try Toys R Us in the Promanada Mall, 2nd floor near the movie theaters.

My favorite breakfast is the Pun Pun Superman breakfast at the Pun Pun Guest house and restaurant on the river.  Bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, jam, potatoes and it will fill you up.  

The River Market is the only 4th of July event I have heard of so far. Tickets can be purchased there or at any of the Dukes restaurants; 1,200 baht for adults and 6 baht for kids. I believe the price includes all you can eat and four beers or sodas. I've been told there will be only a limited number of tickets sold so do not wait until the last minute or expect to show up and be able to buy a ticket on the day at the gate.

Your Chicken Fried Steak is so good I don't worry about the price. Will still be eating it there as always.

I have been seeing Dr. Chatbongkoch Khemacheewakul in the fifth floor clinic at RAM since the first of the year. On my first visit she gave me a complete body check and took photos of everything she found (a lot), she even noticed a small bit of fungus on the bottom of my feet that I had just assumed was dead skin and treated me for that as well. I am very happy and confident in her work.

This past Thursday I was assisting a good friend from the States who just moved here on the 4th of May to get his retirement visa by riding with him as he went through the steps. First stop was U.S. Consulate (had an appointment) for his income statement, next I took him to immigration so he would know where it was when he goes to get in line to get his visa the next day. So while showing him the office we decided to save time and get his photos and copies done at the place behind the office. So he would have everything he needed to get in line the next day. (passport and copies, income statement, copies of his house lease and a filled out TM-87). It was 2:45 in the afternoon and on a whim he said I want to try to go in now and see if they will do it now. I said to him they most likely with laugh at you and tell you to come back at 6 AM to get in line. Well he went in and asked, to my surprise the guy at the center desk, looked over his papers and have him a a number. I looked at the board over the desk and saw his number was next. Within 30 minutes we were out of there with his retirement visa. Totally amazed. By the way, they said no need for health form or background check for people applying from within Thailand.

I have had several packages sent to me over the past few years from America. First thing I learned is that having anything sent via UPS or Fed-ex is not so good when it comes to import taxation. They end up in Bangkok at a contracted transfer warehouse owned by the shipping company that is authorized to collect the import tax. You will be asked to pay a very large fee for customs as they charge a commission to collect the import tax.

However, everything I have had sent to me via U.S. Postal services comes through the local Thai post office. Yes you will get a notice to pick the item up at a post office but the customs fee will be reasonable and you are less likely to git taken. So you are on the right track already by having it sent via government postal services rather than a shipping company.

What you want to do should work as you have stated that you think it will.

I took the wife out to the Promenada Mall tonight to try the new Italian restaurant that David of the Dukes just opened a few days ago, RAGU Rustio Italiano, Italian Country Cuisine. First off a comment about the Promenada, it’s not dead yet, as I walked through the mall on the way to the restaurant I noticed there were a good number of people in there shopping. Maybe some of the people who migrated to the Central Festival got tired of it and returned.

As we entered the restaurant I noticed the owner of another well known restaurant sitting there enjoying his meal, maybe checking on the competition. We ordered several dishes and found everything to be absolutely the best. I might start stopping in there for lunch a few times a week and work my way through the rest of the menu. Bravo for another great restaurant in Chiang Mai.