NamKangMan

6 minutes ago, madmitch said:

Very lucky he didn't kill or injure any pedestrians as that spot is regularly passed by Russians and Chinese leaving the Hilton or Thavorn Palm on the way to the 7-Eleven and the overproced street food.

 

How he lost control so badly I don't know. Judging by the direction the car was facing afterwards he must have gone right to the other side of the road before landing in the ditch in front of the house. Fortunately the tailors shop nearby, which took a direct hit, has been disused for some time.

 

I wondered at the time if he'd had a heart attack or similar, causing him to lose consciousness at the wheel but that is nothing more than guesswork. I do know that there was a lot of blood and that CPR was performed!

 

 

"I wondered at the time if he'd had a heart attack or similar" - vodka attack.  ????

"Tuk-Tuk.  Tuk-Tuk."   

2 hours ago, nasa123 said:

Do not need and work any more, have pension from the world's largest pension fund. And here you can find out how much your home country has borrowed from this country's pension fond. https://www.nbim.no/en/

Doesn't Japan have the largest pension fund in the world?

On 1/18/2019 at 7:57 PM, GeorgeCross said:

 

generally a younger crowd out at 1.30am - maybe thats what these girls are looking for? tip still the same i suppose!

 

Whilst the "tip" may still be the same, I doubt the demographic of younger male tourists, frequenting the night clubs on their holiday, will be taking any of these girl back to their home country, which used to be the ultimate goal of a young Thai girls going to the night clubs.

On 1/21/2019 at 2:25 PM, Oziex1 said:

Not sure what's going on in Patong,  but Rawai is crowded with all sorts. Many Chinese, Europeans and Russians a smattering of Brit's, Aussie's and Americans.

Nai Harn and Ya Nui beach crowded also the beach chairs are starting to increase on the beach. 

I note the date of your post, but will say, there is a surge of Chinese at this period, due to the Chinese New Year.  However, as stated previously, there is no point having big numbers here, if they do not spend, not to mention the "zero baht tourist" debate. 

Basically, for example, you can count 100 coach buses, all full of Chinese, but if they are here just to "observe" - with their holiday paid back in China, the Phuket economy will see very little money from  them. 

In my opinion, in relation to a tourism industry, there's no point counting "bodies" if none of them are put their hands in their pockets.  A hard lesson Phuket is now starting to learn. 

On 1/22/2019 at 5:46 PM, spidermike007 said:

Agreed. No justification whatsoever for Phuket or Samui taxi prices. None. Apologists will disagree. So will the taxi mafia. It comes down to sloth. More and more sloth on the part of Prayuth and the incompetent army. Also massive corruption. 

 

Bottom line is the Samui and Phuket taxi mafia is far more powerful than the army. Seems to be a fact. Funny, but true. And very sad. The elections could not come soon enough!

I saw the military coup as Phuket's last chance to address the transport issue.  Nothing changed, except for a token airport and coast road bus, and these were not immediate. 

"The elections could not come soon enough!" - why do you say that?  I see them both as bad as each other. 

For decades, a democratically elected Government presided over the transport issue here, with nothing being done, then, it was the Thai military's turn to turn a blind eye to the issue.  Either way, the issue did not get addressed, causing the western tourist market to decline, thus forcing the void to be filled by cheap Chinese package holiday makers, in coach buses.  Without the coach buses, they basically couldn't afford a holiday on Phuket. 

Sadly, as far as transport is concerned, what Phuket has now, is all that Phuket will ever have, or not have.  Thus, I can only see a further decline in independent western tourists coming to Phuket. 

The various transport "clubs" and "associations" here certain let those in authority here know who holds the real power here.  

20 hours ago, Olmate said:

That’s very hypothetical ,if we all ate seafood ???

Read again.

I said, "most of which favor seafood" not "all."

The people of many countries in South East Asia favor seafood over other foods.

28 minutes ago, hansgruber said:

When children enter the equation the stress is ten fold. 

He was stressed about school tution and other things. 

Hard to drag a family back home when you have nothing to go back to. 

Suicide is never the answer but stressing about the ones you love is a whole new level. 

 

"Hard to drag a family back home when you have nothing to go back to." - true.

That's why I always tell "newbies" that I introduce to Thailand, word to the effect, "Don't put all your eggs in the Thailand basket, and always have a Plan B, which is outside Thailand." 

He must have been under a lot of pressure, but surely, living a cheaper lifestyle must have been an option.

RIP.

7 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Hey guys remember what the Mod Leungken has said..............treading on dangerous ground here perhaps!!

I didn't think what I posted breached forum rules, but if have since taken the "s*x" word out and used the words "bar girl." 

Other sectors have been "disrupted" by technology.  Eg. taxi, accommodation, currency etc. (Uber / AirBnB / BitCoin)

I see no harm in discussing, within forum rules, how a people within a certain "occupation" in Thailand are making use of these apps.

19 hours ago, Psimbo said:

TAT is British slang for 'crap' and with reason. They skew their stats on a regular basis to the point that they are farcical.

 

Taking on other people's points about the girls. With the advent of Thaifriendly and Tinder the girls are more savvy now and realise they don't have to sit around in a grotty beer bar all night to make some cash- this is part of the reason the bars are on their ersses. I know a girl that works off these sites and takes 2 clients a day, an afternooner and an early evening usually- she's made her cash and is happy. She can then get on with life for the rest of the night.

 

With the discos you have this crazy situation that freelancers don't even go out til about 0130 in the morning, part of the reason i have always advocated that the nightlife in Phuket needs to start earlier, not later,  and close earlier as it does in other parts of Thailand. people don't want to hang around that late to get laid.

"With the advent of Thaifriendly and Tinder the girls are more savvy now and realize they don't have to sit around in a grotty beer bar all night" - good point, Psimbo.  WeChat is another popular pick up app. 

I have often said, these apps have become somewhat of a "digital disruptor" in the "bar girl" / bar trade here.  

If you have a look at these apps, you will see there are women from many different countries "working" here, with very little chance of being arrested. 

I can only see these apps gaining in popularity with working girls in the future. 

5 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Not hard to do. Embassies do not care about a person being on an overstay. It is not their responsibility to check for it when accepting an application for one.

How would a person leave the country without a valid passport if they refused to issue one?

You were posting when I was typing.

I know you are experienced in all things visa related UJ, but perhaps we can hear from a member who has actually received a new passport from their Embassy or Consulate, whilst on an overstay, and I mean, a serious overstay, not just a few days. 

As I said in a later post, of course an Embassy would issue an emergency passport, but I would suggest that is only with documents from Immigration official because the person is in detention.

The OP could do like JT suggested and present to his Embassy claiming a lost / stolen passport, but doesn't that require a police report? Wouldn't the police verify identity with immigration?

1 minute ago, JackThompson said:

Maybe.  But does your embassy care if you are on overstay regarding issuing a new passport?  Honest question - I don't know - but guessing it's not their problem.

 

The worse-case is if he "lost" a passport, and does not have a police-report for this.  That could prevent departure. 

 

If he shows up with an old/expired passport with his entry-stamp shown, or police-report for his old/lost passport, plus a current passport or ETD allowing onward-travel, he should be fine. 

 

If flying direct to Belgium, I think he could even travel there on his old/expired passport (your own country cannot deny you).

Surely, Embassies can not be complicate in a crime. (overstaying)  Would they really issue a new passport for someone on such a long overstay?  I seriously doubt they would.

In relation to flying direct to Belgium, it's my understanding NO airline is obligated to accept a passenger without a valid passport.  They simply will not let you board, and it's understandable, as it's not their problem.

If the OP is not trolling, I can only assume he has an expired passport, so must be detained for the purpose of arranging an emergency passport and paying his overstay fine.  

16 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

He could have applied for a new passport or gotten an emergency travel-doc.  If the latter, he might only be able to go to Belgium - policy differs by country on ETDs.  Hopefully he got a new full-passport, and so his options are less limited.

I accept what you say, but if we do the math, and "assume" a little, let's say the OP entered Thailand 16 years ago with a new passport, which is best case scenario.  This passport expired 6 years ago.

How did he get a new passport, 6 years ago, with a 10 year overstay?

If he has a passport he can use, then he can't be a 16 year overstay.

I'm a visa runner, and have never overstayed, and never will, thus, I am not up to date on the overstay legalities, but something doesn't sound right. 

I'm starting to sense a troll. 

7 minutes ago, Lashay said:

Phuket Airport arrivals data says this is not the case, western tourist numbers have generally maintained a small but steady increase over last decade. 

 

From what i have seen what is changing is who is coming (age, gender, nationality, social and economic status, short version more backpackers and familys) and how long staying (multi destination holidays have become lot more common) and where staying (lot more spread out on the Island).

 

And on other side there is a lot more competition on the buisness side. In nearly everything supply has outpaced demand, to point prices for hotels, food and drink have either bearly moved in a decade or actually gone down. Which is opposite to what seems to be happening in places like BKK if the complaints i am hearing lately are anything to go by.

 

Really only noticed 4 things have really gone up higher than basic inflation here over last 10 years, taxis, lady drinks, bar fines and what girls charge (3 of those are related). Most other things have remained same or gone down.

 

Main thing that is making Phuket and Thailand as a whole 'expensive' these days is the exchange rates, in some cases 40-60% more expensive in a decade.  £1000 per week tourist in '09 would be spending 56,000 thb, now they are only spending 40,000thb. 1000eur p/w,  change is 50000thb to 36000thb.

 

We dont hear the old '2 week millionaire' expression much anymore for good reason.

The majority of tourists to Phuket now are cheap Chines package holiday makers.  This has been reported in the local media, and is not my opinion.  I don't remember this being the case a few years ago.

Are you saying they now compliment the western tourist market?  If so, that is debatable.  I would say they have basically replaced the western tourist market.

I know The TAT publish figures to show western tourists are stable, or have increased, but I just don't see them in the numbers like I used to, am I am in Patong. 

Another thing to consider with those stats is Phuket Airport is well connected.  There is a percentage of tourists that pass immigration on Phuket, but never spend a night here.  I suspect this percentage has increased quiet a lot in recent times.

1 hour ago, balo said:

The main problem here could be your passport, if it's expired.  Not easy to avoid IDC if that is the case. 

 

 

This is what I was thinking.

Passports are good for 10 years.  The OP is a 16 year overstay. 

What passport does he hope to travel anywhere on????

On 1/15/2019 at 8:49 PM, Olmate said:

Shark is very common, sold as flake, in Oz fish n chip outlets.Has been so for 50 plus years.Totally legal and very sweet white flesh.No idea if illegal here but in Oz sharks are plentiful!????????????

 

And if Australia had a population of 70 million, most of which favor seafood, then add millions of tourists and expats, how many sharks would have to be caught so the people could eat "flake?" 

How long before the shark population decreases to dangerous levels, even despite Australia' vast coast lines????

Imagine if the tourist was Indian.  They would have thought their whole holiday was cursed.  ????

On 1/15/2019 at 11:59 PM, bluesofa said:

"Chief Banyat aslo obscurely noted, “This application is active for Thai users with Thai driving licenses, and does not include foreign users.”

Mr Banyat declined to elaborate further, as it is many expats have Thai driving licences with their passport number issued as the driving licence number.

Of note, the app itself features a login window plainly labelled “PASSPORT” in English.

The rest of the app is labelled in Thai language only."

 

Usual story - the left hand doesn't know the right hand even exists, let alone knowing what it's doing.

"Usual story - the left hand doesn't know the right hand even exists, let alone knowing what it's doing" - the thing is, when it come time to collect "tea money" - BOTH hands are held out, purposefully, with each hand knowing EXACTLY what is going on.  ????

20 hours ago, xylophone said:

Lots of comments about Patong being expensive, however I don't entirely agree with that because many of the tourists here would be comparing what they pay in Patong to what they would pay back in their home countries, and from everything that I've seen/experienced here they would find it cheaper by some margin.

 

I posted this on another thread and it tries to address that aspect.............

 

Good point John and although I live in Patong I still believe that it is not expensive although I do compare the prices to those I would pay in my home country!! 
 
Here I can buy the ingredients for a Pad Thai for under $5, chicken is as cheap as, and a meal in an everyday Thai restaurant can be had for a little more, then eating in my regular Italian restaurant I can get a main course for $11.00............and so on.
 
I rent an apartment for 1/3rd the cost of one room in NZ, and I could go on, but for me the only thing I find expensive here is my "extravagances" such as wine, smoked salmon and some cheeses.
 
And on transport; well I consider the 800 baht taxi to the airport to be good value.
 
Patong may be more expensive than other places in Thailand, but here for all its faults, there is plenty to do, good shopping and restaurants.........all you have to do is to hope you don't become a traffic accident statistic!

 

PS. Or get sucked in by the promises of a wayward bar girl!!
 

As an expat here, like yourself, we know what we should be paying, and we have our work arounds, thus, we escape the trap prices.  The majority of tourists do not have this luxury.

"from everything that I've seen/experienced here they would find it cheaper by some margin." - I agree, BUT, would they "find it cheaper by some margin" compared to other tourist destinations in Thailand? 

Then, would they find Thailand "cheaper by some margin" compared to neighboring countries in South East Asia? 

I asked the question on another thread.  Is it possible it's not about the higher prices on Phuket.  Maybe Phuket no longer offers a pleasant holiday, regardless of the cost. 

Western tourists, of all financial capacities, are no longer coming to Phuket in the numbers they used to.  The whole western tourist market to Phuket can not all be suffering financial stress. 

16 hours ago, hansgruber said:

They have a monopoly now. The BDMS group owns the lot. 

It's either government hospital or BDMS group hospitals on Phuket. 

 

Prices weren't so bad until they acquired the Samkong hospital. 

So, medical is now following the land transport business model.  ????

What's next?  Water, electric, fuel, education etc?

The day will come, if we're not already there, when expats on Phuket will need to leave the island for reasonably affordable medical and dental care, much in the same way western tourists now detour Phuket for their holiday. 

On 12/30/2018 at 8:49 PM, grego49 said:

And thats why my Aussie friends are going to Bali and Vietnam and not comming to Thailand any more.

This is an interesting issue.

Are the western tourists detouring Phuket solely based on affordability / value, or, has Phuket become an unpleasant place to holiday?

If the baht was devalued, or currencies in Phuket's traditional tourism markets rose, would these western tourists flock back to Phuket, or still go elsewhere?   

12 hours ago, anon7854 said:

I never heard of tourists complain about prices in Thailand (maybe the backpackers?). It's the 'pats crying at the amount of 2 week millionaires coming, ruining the market. While , yes, living away from touristy places is a good idea on the long term (and for some , the only) for others it's a pain  to live far away from the buzz.

"I never heard of tourists complain about prices in Thailand" - sure, they don't complain, they just don't come here, or go somewhere else.  Eg. the independent western tourist market

On 1/15/2019 at 10:26 AM, fisherd3 said:

In Rayong Town capital of Thailand's most industrial province, there is not a large bus service to Bangkok a distance of about , 200 kms , just saying the transport mafia is everywhere in Thailand.

Are you comparing an industrial province in Thailand to a tourism industry island in Thailand????

"Mafia" in all forms, should be kept away from the tourists, not given free rein to plunder them.

Tourism is an advertisement for a country.  What a great advertisement the tuk-tuks on Phuket must be for Thailand, in many cases charging more for a journey than the cost of food & beverage, or accommodation, for the day.