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[boilface]

Just got back from Chaengwattana immigration for my first ED visa extension.

I've been living in Thailand for 15 years, so I speak ok, but cannot read or write. Out of the 3 months I've had my ED visa, I've been to school for around 1 month. It's pretty much a waste of time; I can learn far more by self-study at home, or with help from the missus.

Took me less than a week to recite the Thai alphabet. Remembering the actual characters is much harder. So, while I could read to you the 44 consonants and 32 vowels in order, if you pointed a random one out I'd struggle.

Don't forget, I'm use to Thai pronunciation, so if you're starting from scratch it would take you a lot longer than a week. In fact, there's students in my alphabet class who have been there 2 years. They know it all, but can't pass the test to go to the next level because they have trouble with pronunciation. When they speak Thai, which some can, it's very difficult for me to understand them.

I was not expecting many people on Christmas day. I was wrong. Arrived around 8:15 to join a queue of around 200 people. Doors open at 8:30. My queue number was 19, so around 10% of those people were there for an ED extension.

There's 3 stages: 1, check documents and administer Thai "test". 2, have your photo taken and pay the 1,900baht fee. 3, collect passport.

I was out of there by 10:15, so 2 hours in total.

The first stage has 4 desks, so there's other people in there trying to "prove" they are actually studying. It's funny listening to the excuses.

The immigration staff for the most part were speaking English, but when it was my time I spoke in Thai right off the bat, so the obvious first question of "can you speak Thai" was not asked. I was asked if I could read Thai, I said, "not yet, I've only been studying for 3 months". The stern looking women then handed me a Thai form and asked if I could read it. I couldn't, but did my best to spell out the characters.

She then asked me to write my name in Thai. I did so, spelling out each character as I wrote it. She asked if I had a short version of my name, or a "nick name" if you like. I wrote that down without spelling it out, then showed her it to read, she pronounced it correctly. I was on a roll!

She wrote 4 short lines of Thai on my application form. She then told me she will give me the maximum of 60 days. I asked why not 90, and she said "everyone who passes the test today will get 60 days". Apparently this was due to a crackdown by the bosses. This led to many questions from me. She said people who have been studying a long time, if it's obvious they are not going to school, they will get 7 days. Their visa will be cancelled, effectively. Those that fail the test will get 30 days, and on the next visit have to show some improvement.

Now, I was a little paranoid at this point. I thought I'd aced the test, and wanted to know what had made her give me 60 instead of 90 days. So I asked around...

1) Some guy on his 2nd extension, never attended school. Was asked if he could speak or read Thai, he replied, "no". Was asked to write his name, he did it to the best of his ability. Result: 60 days.

2) Some lady on her 3rd extension, never attended school. Was asked to introduce herself in Thai. She did so. Result: 60 days.

3) Some guy on his 2nd extension, never attended school. Was asked *nothing*. Result: 60 days.

All those people believed they had been given 90 days. It was only when I asked to check their stamp did it reveal 60 days. They were not happy.

During stage 2, I asked the officer to explain the 4 lines of Thai writing the stage 1 officer had written. It roughly translated to:

"Can speak Thai ok"

"Cannot read much Thai"

"Can write some Thai"

"Review after 2 months"

I know a lot of you are worried about the Thai test. It seems it's down to the individual officer what, if anything, you will be asked. My advice to you is to learn at least to introduce yourself in Thai, and learn to spell your name, reading the characters out loud as you write them.

I have no idea why I got a more thorough test than the others. Maybe it was just the officer, or maybe it was because I spoke Thai and was quite talkative. I actually wanted to be tested, as I had prepared well for it.

I was never asked how many days a week I studied. My attendance report and weekly hours was a pure fabrication supplied to me by my school. I don't even think the officer looked at it.

My passport full of 60 days tourist visas and their respective extensions was never brought up. I was never asked how long I had lived in Thailand.

[Kitsune]

So no more 90 days extensions in BKK.

Would it be possible to extend in some other office, anywhere in the country?

[jspill]

So they aren't concerned with whether students are attending and learning, just limiting the length of the visa to catch a small number of criminals and all the genuine students in one large net.

Same story with the visa waiver crackdown, lazy approach to the problem.

[bigt116]

So your clearly not a tourist or studying , would that not make you the exact kind of person this clampdown is about ?

[Mario2008]

So no more 90 days extensions in BKK.

Would it be possible to extend in some other office, anywhere in the country?

You can only use the office for the area where you live/study.

[Kitsune]

So no more 90 days extensions in BKK.

Would it be possible to extend in some other office, anywhere in the country?

You can only use the office for the area where you live/study.

My school has several branches in THL.

I prefer to move than to have my visa cancelled.

Any information on Pattaya Immigration office? Are they still giving 90 days?

Edited December 26, 2014 by Kitsune

[biggles45]

So if you are genuinely attending school and studying but having difficulty learning, perhaps due to memory or advanced age, then you have no chance of passing these tests. ?

"It seems it's down to the individual officer what, if anything, you will be asked. "

That is the problem with any interaction with the beaucracy in Thailand. No real guidelines for support staff, just make it up as they go. Doesn't seem like a great way to run an ED visa scheme.

[ubonjoe]

So no more 90 days extensions in BKK.

Would it be possible to extend in some other office, anywhere in the country?

You can only use the office for the area where you live/study.

My school has several branches in THL.

I prefer to move than to have my visa cancelled.

Any information on Pattaya Immigration office? Are they still giving 90 days?

I don't think you have a visa that can be cancelled. I suspect the visa you has already expired and was only good for one 90 day entry.

The only problem you have is possibility of your 90 extension application being denied or reduced to 60 days.

[Kitsune]

So no more 90 days extensions in BKK.

Would it be possible to extend in some other office, anywhere in the country?

You can only use the office for the area where you live/study.

My school has several branches in THL.

I prefer to move than to have my visa cancelled.

Any information on Pattaya Immigration office? Are they still giving 90 days?

I don't think you have a visa that can be cancelled. I suspect the visa you has already expired and was only good for one 90 day entry.

The only problem you have is possibility of your 90 extension application being denied or reduced to 60 days.

The OP said the Immigration officer told him that some people had their visa cancelled and that has been reported previously

She said people who have been studying a long time, if it's obvious they are not going to school, they will get 7 days. Their visa will be cancelled, effectively

Anyhow having the 90 days reduced to 60 and the way they treat you is bad enough to want to move

Edited December 26, 2014 by Kitsune

[ubonjoe]

That could be a misquote or using the wrong terminology.

There is no visa to be canceled just a denial of the extension and being given 7 days to leave the country.

[Kitsune]

That could be a misquote or using the wrong terminology.

There is no visa to be canceled just a denial of the extension and being given 7 days to leave the country.

Anyhow it is bad enough to have the extension reduced to 60 days then be given 1 month (to fit the previous 3 months frame)

Do you have some info on Pattaya Immigration Office?

[canarysun]

I must admit i don't blame immigration for reducing the reporting to 60 days on an ED Visa.After all the idea is that you are supposed to be learning to speak Thai ! i know many people with ED Visas who have gone back to a tourist visa mainly because they couldn't learn anything in the " language School " because it was too " bloody boring " I can see it all going wrong for these language schools if they don't get there act together and start to teach with " FUN " in the classroom! it comes as no surprise that farang don't want to attend school and end up learning absolutely nothing!

F.J x

[ubonjoe]

I have seen no reports for Pattaya. That either means nobody has had a problem or it has not been reported.

[yr6]

Just been in Jomtien this Morning, expiry of current extension is Monday 29th Dec, they told us to come back Monday, can not do it today.

[wump]

I do not agree on one point: It certainly doesn't take longer than a month to learn the alphabet if you do it the right way. I read the book "Thai for Beginners" for 1 hour a day with a couple of beers on the beach for 2 weeks.

Once you know the characters you will be constantly reinforcing them cause there is just so much stuff written in Thai that is actually English words (in the supermarket, for example). You also have to know the tones for anyone to understand you so you always have to 'see' the Thai word in your brain, again practicing your alphabet.

Funny that they only do 60 days now. Two years ago they did 1-year extensions for ED visas in Phuket.

[Kitsune]

I must admit i don't blame immigration for reducing the reporting to 60 days on an ED Visa.After all the idea is that you are supposed to be learning to speak Thai ! i know many people with ED Visas who have gone back to a tourist visa mainly because they couldn't learn anything in the " language School " because it was too " bloody boring " I can see it all going wrong for these language schools if they don't get there act together and start to teach with " FUN " in the classroom! it comes as no surprise that farang don't want to attend school and end up learning absolutely nothing!

F.J x

Believe me boring is the least of my concern.

As long as the teacher does not double as a dictionary giving you a 4 hours long list of vocab,with absolutely no chance whatsoever to practice it and expect you to "KNOW" , I would take boring anyday, the fact is they are not teaching they are giving you vocab.

[brewsterbudgen]

What do they do for those on Ed. Visas who are studying something other than Thai?

[jspill]

So your clearly not a tourist or studying , would that not make you the exact kind of person this clampdown is about ?

People were asked nothing and got 60 days instead of 90. An objective reader would conclude the clampdown isn't just about people not studying. It's about a general restriction on foreigners. Just like proposed restrictions on foreign businesses.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/777983-thailand-eyeing-tighter-restrictions-on-foreign-businesses/

[ubonjoe]

What do they do for those on Ed. Visas who are studying something other than Thai?

If a person was on a ED visa it would be a multiple entry and could be questioned on entry when they enter the country every 90 days.

Other than studying other languages or attending a university there are probably no others that are getting extensions of stay (not a visa). Most other schools offering courses of study are not registered with the MOE which means no extensions.

University studies allow for one year extensions and are not bothered when they apply.

For other languages I doubt there will be any testing.

[brewsterbudgen]

What do they do for those on Ed. Visas who are studying something other than Thai?

If a person was on a ED visa it would be a multiple entry and could be questioned on entry when they enter the country every 90 days.

Other than studying other languages or attending a university there are probably no others that are getting extensions of stay (not a visa). Most other schools offering courses of study are not registered with the MOE which means no extensions.

University studies allow for one year extensions and are not bothered when they apply.

For other languages I doubt there will be any testing.

Thanks. I have a few friends doing Masters and Bachelor degrees at Thai uni, so was wondering how it works for them.

[bigwhitewarrior]

Just got back from Chaengwattana immigration for my first ED visa extension.

I've been living in Thailand for 15 years, so I speak ok, but cannot read or write. Out of the 3 months I've had my ED visa, I've been to school for around 1 month. It's pretty much a waste of time; I can learn far more by self-study at home, or with help from the missus.

Took me less than a week to recite the Thai alphabet. Remembering the actual characters is much harder. So, while I could read to you the 44 consonants and 32 vowels in order, if you pointed a random one out I'd struggle.

Don't forget, I'm use to Thai pronunciation, so if you're starting from scratch it would take you a lot longer than a week. In fact, there's students in my alphabet class who have been there 2 years. They know it all, but can't pass the test to go to the next level because they have trouble with pronunciation. When they speak Thai, which some can, it's very difficult for me to understand them.

I was not expecting many people on Christmas day. I was wrong. Arrived around 8:15 to join a queue of around 200 people. Doors open at 8:30. My queue number was 19, so around 10% of those people were there for an ED extension.

There's 3 stages: 1, check documents and administer Thai "test". 2, have your photo taken and pay the 1,900baht fee. 3, collect passport.

I was out of there by 10:15, so 2 hours in total.

The first stage has 4 desks, so there's other people in there trying to "prove" they are actually studying. It's funny listening to the excuses.

The immigration staff for the most part were speaking English, but when it was my time I spoke in Thai right off the bat, so the obvious first question of "can you speak Thai" was not asked. I was asked if I could read Thai, I said, "not yet, I've only been studying for 3 months". The stern looking women then handed me a Thai form and asked if I could read it. I couldn't, but did my best to spell out the characters.

She then asked me to write my name in Thai. I did so, spelling out each character as I wrote it. She asked if I had a short version of my name, or a "nick name" if you like. I wrote that down without spelling it out, then showed her it to read, she pronounced it correctly. I was on a roll!

She wrote 4 short lines of Thai on my application form. She then told me she will give me the maximum of 60 days. I asked why not 90, and she said "everyone who passes the test today will get 60 days". Apparently this was due to a crackdown by the bosses. This led to many questions from me. She said people who have been studying a long time, if it's obvious they are not going to school, they will get 7 days. Their visa will be cancelled, effectively. Those that fail the test will get 30 days, and on the next visit have to show some improvement.

Now, I was a little paranoid at this point. I thought I'd aced the test, and wanted to know what had made her give me 60 instead of 90 days. So I asked around...

1) Some guy on his 2nd extension, never attended school. Was asked if he could speak or read Thai, he replied, "no". Was asked to write his name, he did it to the best of his ability. Result: 60 days.

2) Some lady on her 3rd extension, never attended school. Was asked to introduce herself in Thai. She did so. Result: 60 days.

3) Some guy on his 2nd extension, never attended school. Was asked *nothing*. Result: 60 days.

All those people believed they had been given 90 days. It was only when I asked to check their stamp did it reveal 60 days. They were not happy.

During stage 2, I asked the officer to explain the 4 lines of Thai writing the stage 1 officer had written. It roughly translated to:

"Can speak Thai ok"

"Cannot read much Thai"

"Can write some Thai"

"Review after 2 months"

I know a lot of you are worried about the Thai test. It seems it's down to the individual officer what, if anything, you will be asked. My advice to you is to learn at least to introduce yourself in Thai, and learn to spell your name, reading the characters out loud as you write them.

I have no idea why I got a more thorough test than the others. Maybe it was just the officer, or maybe it was because I spoke Thai and was quite talkative. I actually wanted to be tested, as I had prepared well for it.

I was never asked how many days a week I studied. My attendance report and weekly hours was a pure fabrication supplied to me by my school. I don't even think the officer looked at it.

My passport full of 60 days tourist visas and their respective extensions was never brought up. I was never asked how long I had lived in Thailand.

If you had actually used the school system of learning the alphabet rather than your own phonetic version...you would be able to identify the letters rather than just memorising the sounds of the alphabet.

I know many students at school who get 90 day extensions ...but 15 years in thailand ...now in a school and cannot read or write....no wonder they only give you 60 days..

Thais have trouble understanding how after such a long time here...you cannot read or write in thai... same as we wonder in europe when foreigners live there for such long time and cannot read or write the language of the country try they reside in...

Edited December 26, 2014 by bigwhitewarrior

[Kitsune]

What do they do for those on Ed. Visas who are studying something other than Thai?

If a person was on a ED visa it would be a multiple entry and could be questioned on entry when they enter the country every 90 days.

Other than studying other languages or attending a university there are probably no others that are getting extensions of stay (not a visa). Most other schools offering courses of study are not registered with the MOE which means no extensions.

University studies allow for one year extensions and are not bothered when they apply.

For other languages I doubt there will be any testing.

Thanks. I have a few friends doing Masters and Bachelor degrees at Thai uni, so was wondering how it works for them.

University students are still treated with respect

[ColdSingha]

Just got back from Chaengwattana immigration for my first ED visa extension.

I've been living in Thailand for 15 years, so I speak ok, but cannot read or write. Out of the 3 months I've had my ED visa, I've been to school for around 1 month. It's pretty much a waste of time; I can learn far more by self-study at home, or with help from the missus.

Took me less than a week to recite the Thai alphabet. Remembering the actual characters is much harder. So, while I could read to you the 44 consonants and 32 vowels in order, if you pointed a random one out I'd struggle.

Don't forget, I'm use to Thai pronunciation, so if you're starting from scratch it would take you a lot longer than a week. In fact, there's students in my alphabet class who have been there 2 years. They know it all, but can't pass the test to go to the next level because they have trouble with pronunciation. When they speak Thai, which some can, it's very difficult for me to understand them.

I was not expecting many people on Christmas day. I was wrong. Arrived around 8:15 to join a queue of around 200 people. Doors open at 8:30. My queue number was 19, so around 10% of those people were there for an ED extension.

There's 3 stages: 1, check documents and administer Thai "test". 2, have your photo taken and pay the 1,900baht fee. 3, collect passport.

I was out of there by 10:15, so 2 hours in total.

The first stage has 4 desks, so there's other people in there trying to "prove" they are actually studying. It's funny listening to the excuses.

The immigration staff for the most part were speaking English, but when it was my time I spoke in Thai right off the bat, so the obvious first question of "can you speak Thai" was not asked. I was asked if I could read Thai, I said, "not yet, I've only been studying for 3 months". The stern looking women then handed me a Thai form and asked if I could read it. I couldn't, but did my best to spell out the characters.

She then asked me to write my name in Thai. I did so, spelling out each character as I wrote it. She asked if I had a short version of my name, or a "nick name" if you like. I wrote that down without spelling it out, then showed her it to read, she pronounced it correctly. I was on a roll!

She wrote 4 short lines of Thai on my application form. She then told me she will give me the maximum of 60 days. I asked why not 90, and she said "everyone who passes the test today will get 60 days". Apparently this was due to a crackdown by the bosses. This led to many questions from me. She said people who have been studying a long time, if it's obvious they are not going to school, they will get 7 days. Their visa will be cancelled, effectively. Those that fail the test will get 30 days, and on the next visit have to show some improvement.

Now, I was a little paranoid at this point. I thought I'd aced the test, and wanted to know what had made her give me 60 instead of 90 days. So I asked around...

1) Some guy on his 2nd extension, never attended school. Was asked if he could speak or read Thai, he replied, "no". Was asked to write his name, he did it to the best of his ability. Result: 60 days.

2) Some lady on her 3rd extension, never attended school. Was asked to introduce herself in Thai. She did so. Result: 60 days.

3) Some guy on his 2nd extension, never attended school. Was asked *nothing*. Result: 60 days.

All those people believed they had been given 90 days. It was only when I asked to check their stamp did it reveal 60 days. They were not happy.

During stage 2, I asked the officer to explain the 4 lines of Thai writing the stage 1 officer had written. It roughly translated to:

"Can speak Thai ok"

"Cannot read much Thai"

"Can write some Thai"

"Review after 2 months"

I know a lot of you are worried about the Thai test. It seems it's down to the individual officer what, if anything, you will be asked. My advice to you is to learn at least to introduce yourself in Thai, and learn to spell your name, reading the characters out loud as you write them.

I have no idea why I got a more thorough test than the others. Maybe it was just the officer, or maybe it was because I spoke Thai and was quite talkative. I actually wanted to be tested, as I had prepared well for it.

I was never asked how many days a week I studied. My attendance report and weekly hours was a pure fabrication supplied to me by my school. I don't even think the officer looked at it.

My passport full of 60 days tourist visas and their respective extensions was never brought up. I was never asked how long I had lived in Thailand.

If you had actually used the school system of learning the alphabet rather than your own phonetic version...you would be able to identify the letters rather than just memorising the sounds of the alphabet.

I know many students at school who get 90 day extensions ...but 15 years in thailand ...now in a school and cannot read or write....no wonder they only give you 60 days..

Thais have trouble understanding how after such a long time here...you cannot read or write in thai... same as we wonder in europe when foreigners live there for such long time and cannot read or write the language of the country try they reside in...

its not that hard to understand, it's lived in thailand, not studied in thailand, for 15 years.

much the same as i dont expect 1st generation punjabi immigrants to be fluent in England

[bigwhitewarrior]

Just got back from Chaengwattana immigration for my first ED visa extension.

I've been living in Thailand for 15 years, so I speak ok, but cannot read or write. Out of the 3 months I've had my ED visa, I've been to school for around 1 month. It's pretty much a waste of time; I can learn far more by self-study at home, or with help from the missus.

Took me less than a week to recite the Thai alphabet. Remembering the actual characters is much harder. So, while I could read to you the 44 consonants and 32 vowels in order, if you pointed a random one out I'd struggle.

Don't forget, I'm use to Thai pronunciation, so if you're starting from scratch it would take you a lot longer than a week. In fact, there's students in my alphabet class who have been there 2 years. They know it all, but can't pass the test to go to the next level because they have trouble with pronunciation. When they speak Thai, which some can, it's very difficult for me to understand them.

I was not expecting many people on Christmas day. I was wrong. Arrived around 8:15 to join a queue of around 200 people. Doors open at 8:30. My queue number was 19, so around 10% of those people were there for an ED extension.

There's 3 stages: 1, check documents and administer Thai "test". 2, have your photo taken and pay the 1,900baht fee. 3, collect passport.

I was out of there by 10:15, so 2 hours in total.

The first stage has 4 desks, so there's other people in there trying to "prove" they are actually studying. It's funny listening to the excuses.

The immigration staff for the most part were speaking English, but when it was my time I spoke in Thai right off the bat, so the obvious first question of "can you speak Thai" was not asked. I was asked if I could read Thai, I said, "not yet, I've only been studying for 3 months". The stern looking women then handed me a Thai form and asked if I could read it. I couldn't, but did my best to spell out the characters.

She then asked me to write my name in Thai. I did so, spelling out each character as I wrote it. She asked if I had a short version of my name, or a "nick name" if you like. I wrote that down without spelling it out, then showed her it to read, she pronounced it correctly. I was on a roll!

She wrote 4 short lines of Thai on my application form. She then told me she will give me the maximum of 60 days. I asked why not 90, and she said "everyone who passes the test today will get 60 days". Apparently this was due to a crackdown by the bosses. This led to many questions from me. She said people who have been studying a long time, if it's obvious they are not going to school, they will get 7 days. Their visa will be cancelled, effectively. Those that fail the test will get 30 days, and on the next visit have to show some improvement.

Now, I was a little paranoid at this point. I thought I'd aced the test, and wanted to know what had made her give me 60 instead of 90 days. So I asked around...

1) Some guy on his 2nd extension, never attended school. Was asked if he could speak or read Thai, he replied, "no". Was asked to write his name, he did it to the best of his ability. Result: 60 days.

2) Some lady on her 3rd extension, never attended school. Was asked to introduce herself in Thai. She did so. Result: 60 days.

3) Some guy on his 2nd extension, never attended school. Was asked *nothing*. Result: 60 days.

All those people believed they had been given 90 days. It was only when I asked to check their stamp did it reveal 60 days. They were not happy.

During stage 2, I asked the officer to explain the 4 lines of Thai writing the stage 1 officer had written. It roughly translated to:

"Can speak Thai ok"

"Cannot read much Thai"

"Can write some Thai"

"Review after 2 months"

I know a lot of you are worried about the Thai test. It seems it's down to the individual officer what, if anything, you will be asked. My advice to you is to learn at least to introduce yourself in Thai, and learn to spell your name, reading the characters out loud as you write them.

I have no idea why I got a more thorough test than the others. Maybe it was just the officer, or maybe it was because I spoke Thai and was quite talkative. I actually wanted to be tested, as I had prepared well for it.

I was never asked how many days a week I studied. My attendance report and weekly hours was a pure fabrication supplied to me by my school. I don't even think the officer looked at it.

My passport full of 60 days tourist visas and their respective extensions was never brought up. I was never asked how long I had lived in Thailand.

If you had actually used the school system of learning the alphabet rather than your own phonetic version...you would be able to identify the letters rather than just memorising the sounds of the alphabet.

I know many students at school who get 90 day extensions ...but 15 years in thailand ...now in a school and cannot read or write....no wonder they only give you 60 days..

Thais have trouble understanding how after such a long time here...you cannot read or write in thai... same as we wonder in europe when foreigners live there for such long time and cannot read or write the language of the country try they reside in...

its not that hard to understand, it's lived in thailand, not studied in thailand, for 15 years.

much the same as i dont expect 1st generation punjabi immigrants to be fluent in England

OK pardon me ... it's not hard to understand ..just embarrassing !!!

[ColdSingha]

OK pardon me ... it's not hard to understand ..just embarrassing !!!

and yet i only know 2 expats in thailand who can speak thai fluently. the rest of us must be secretly hanging our heads in shame

[bigwhitewarrior]

OK pardon me ... it's not hard to understand ..just embarrassing !!!

and yet i only know 2 expats in thailand who can speak thai fluently. the rest of us must be secretly hanging our heads in shame

To much farang tv probably .. I know loads who speak fluent thai ;-)

[bangon04]

So if you are genuinely attending school and studying but having difficulty learning, perhaps due to memory or advanced age, then you have no chance of passing these tests. ?

"It seems it's down to the individual officer what, if anything, you will be asked. "

That is the problem with any interaction with the beaucracy in Thailand. No real guidelines for support staff, just make it up as they go. Doesn't seem like a great way to run an ED visa scheme.

They should do it the Thai way. Have a standard test with standard questions. Then the candidates can buy the answers from someone else, cheat and pass the test every time.

[boilface]

I'm the OP. Yes, I've been here 15 years, the first 11 of those on a work permit. I've never once needed to read or write Thai. I know farangs living here for as long as I have, and some can speak better than me, other's can't. I know none that can read and write.

I know a lot of Thai's, none of them ever presume I can read or write. I doubt they would have "trouble understanding" why I cannot.

The 3rd guy in my original post, the one who was asked no questions, had been here 7 years and he told me he hardly spoke any Thai. I've met many farangs like that. Some people want to learn, others don't. I don't find that "embarrassing".

Regarding "cancelling" your current visa, maybe that was the wrong terminology. I imagined no extension meant that your current Non-O ED visa could not be used to re-enter the country. Essentially, you would have to leave and obtain a tourist visa.

I actually want to learn to read and write, it's just that school was not what I was expecting. I can learn better by myself. I didn't need the ED visa, I was on my first entry of a triple entry tourist visa from my own country (UK).

Lastly, I do not know if this 60 days extension is a permanent thing. The immigration officer said "today" everyone will get 60 days.

I hope someone else can chime in on their recent experience at Chaengwattana.

[Kitsune]

Lastly, I do not know if this 60 days extension is a permanent thing. The immigration officer said "today" everyone will get 60 days.

May be it was their way of wishing us a Merry Christmas ???

I think today here means "from now on"...

[monk213]

Does anybody have any info on the ED situation at the Immigration of Hua Hin? I am heading there next month and have been brushing up on my reading and writing but my speaking is really good. I still do not fully know the alphabet but I can write my name, things such as 'khun sabai dee mai krap' - 'pom mai sabai' or you know just simple things 'pom ja bpai chai-hat wanii' 'pom kit-wa kao mai koa jai pom' etc etc etc.