biggles45

1 hour ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Sure, can do; retire in Vietnam, and travel every other year for a week, or two to Thailand.

14 years ago this was my decision, to retire in the Philippines and spend 3-4 months a year in Pattaya. Mainly on visa-free entries and never a problem with immig. Also, I have never visited an immig office in the Philippines in that time, that's how you do it! 

2 hours ago, damian said:

the building is still under warranty and these defects have not been fixed. 

It's a Thai warranty, written on toilet paper and useless! 

10 hours ago, kwilco said:

I bet you can't explain why with evidence.

Lived/visited here for 20+ years and this issue is raised regularly. A bit like corruption, road deaths etc. Nothing has ever changed, how much more evidence do you need? 

A good heads up. Nearly every country has fake web sites that charge you to submit your 'free' info. Philippines and Vietnam are two that I have encountered

23 hours ago, Letseng said:

Yes it is unfair it’s about time it was challenged in the courts

I recall that an ex servicemen group in Australia did this about 25 years ago. My dad was a member of the group and their court challenge failed.

What made it a real "slap in the face" was that OZ originally was a British colony, was still part of the Commonwealth, had HM Queen Liz as their ruler and used the British political and legal system. British pensions are still frozen there after all these years!

If Britain was to slowly sink under the sea it would reduce the world output by <2%. China would easily replace this in the next 12 months.! 

We went away for 4 months. This is the block next door when we returned, central Pattaya near big c extra. It was clear when we left. Thais love to dump their rubbish! 

DELETED

While I have sympathy for him, anytime in the last 15 years he could have bailed to the Philippines for 3 months or so and had his pension permanently updated. It can even be done on line apparently. Promo fares with budget carriers are very cheap and it's only a 3 hour trip. 

Philippines has one of the easiest Visa free entry stays, you can continuously extend, upto 3 years. 

'A majority of those that had their vote recorded, not a majority of the population."

Yes, but if people who oppose something don't care enough to go & vote against it, that's their fault, not the winning candidate. He got a majority from the people who cared, that's what counted! 

1 hour ago, Tug said:

when in reality it’s more of a protest against the slaughter of the regular Palestinian people.

Wouldn't this 'slaughter of the regular Palestinian people' stop if Hamas put down their weapons and stopped killing Israelis? Without a threat from Hamas, Israel has no need to continue it's aggression. A total ceasefire by Hamas could resolve the issue! 

I feel your pain. After living in Thailand for many years I decided to retire in the Philippines. 14 years ago I got their retirement visa and have NEVER visited an IO since. It's all handled by the PRA, a separate agency. No corrupt payments or ridiculous made-up rules. 

Didn't daddy Thaksin do some shady tax moves when he sold his company years ago? 

11 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

to investigate government officials responsible for issuing permits to Mountain B. He stressed that once a licence is granted, authorities should ensure continued compliance with safety regulations.

I can't see this ever happening to the Teflon bureaucrats. I am just amazed he got a jail sentence, tho whether he serves the 5 years is another matter

I would have thought that his actions make him well qualified for the job. He probably couldn't find the right person to pay off as he did for his previous promotions. 

The story will disappear into the journalistic black hole and he will be fine. 

Nice move guys. People make international travel plans well in advance. Today I booked a return ticket for 16th May, giving my partner and I 35 days in Thailand. 

To get a visa we have a 2 hour + trip to Manila, and pick it up 2 business days later, not an easy or cheap process. 

Hopefully they will give this change their usual effective implementation. 

17 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

safe because barking dogs keep it that way

No it's not! Dogs around me bark at anything and everything they see. Happens all the time, at any time and everybody just ignores them because it means nothing! 

2 hours ago, Ironmike said:

it's more then high time these free visas are stopped

There are no 'free visas', they are 'Visa Free' entries. A Tourist Visa requires an application, providing data on the tourist, which can be verified. These folk just turn up at the airport and are let in.