tokyoblond

November 13, 2022

Hope I'm allowed to post a link here. This is widespread on YouTube right now... this YouTuber contacted the scammers herself on Telegram. Sorry you didn't win a bike...

August 4, 2022

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The ongoing case against Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya is becoming farcical.

Sorry, but no. This whole thing started becoming farcical on September 4, 2012, when, if I recall, a staff member (gardener?) was forwarded as the driver of said Ferrari. It's just got more farcical since.

August 13, 2021

Didn't the government sign a contract to produce Favipiravir locally? Somebody's pockets are getting stuffed. As always (especially in Thailand), follow the money... it's always about the money, whether it works, or not.

August 1, 2021

1 hour ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

So tell me guys does anybody who lost his/her job get any assistance from the self elected government?

Hi Meat Pie. I can only provide my personal experience, as I don't know how others have fared.

If the business and staff pay into the Social Security scheme (including foreigners), they can get up to 50% of their salary for up to 3 months, up to a maximum salary of 15,000 Baht, meaning that the most they will receive is 7,500 Baht per month. Bear in mind that the business and staff must have paid into the scheme for a period before becoming eligible. And each time my Thai staff applied they felt like we were fighting the SSO to get them to pay out, dodging obstacles put in our way by staff, e.g. "the database is being updated and it will take about 3 weeks to process your claim", "are you sure that the foreigner paid into the system, we can't find the records", etc.

As for business help? Nothing. Not 1 Baht in assistance. We even tried for one of the "soft-loans" but we were "not the right type of business" and it was suggested that the "foreigner could get money from their home country" (that elusive gold-plated bank account that we are all assumed to have back home).

Right now, income is down to about 20% of what it was before Covid struck and now we have entered another lockdown, meaning the business will be forced to shut down again, so no more income for the next month at least; yet the rent still has to be paid, we are still required to pay into the SSO monthly and so on - the costs don't just stop.

I, very foolishly (I realize now, too late) used my savings to keep things afloat "in the short term", keeping salaries, rent, internet, electricity, water, etc. up to date. I love my business and staff and it was a bloody good little business before this debacle. Initially, I hoped that we would come out of this in a short time. Of course, once I started using up my savings, when the next lockdown came, and again, and again, I kept dipping in, in in the vane hope that "it will get better soon". It didn't get better soon and now all of the money is gone. The pot is empty.

I'll be 60 soon, so very little chance of me 'starting again' at my age; I am virtually unemployable in my home country (I already checked), even if I could scrape together enough money to escape back home. Plus, having been out of the country for an extended period, there would be no support once I arrived back home anyway (I already checked, in desperation).

TLDR: No, this government have given NO help to small businesses. Of course, the big boys are coming out smelling of roses. Maybe that was the plan all along....

Oh, and for the usual "never invest more that you're willing to loose" crowd, save it! I know.

May 30, 2021

If businesses were previously denied loans, I am pretty sure they're already gone.

Another case of "too little too late" as has been the case with this government for a very long time.

May 11, 2021

I think the reason it's clear as mud, is that the Government then has its out when there is a "misunderstanding". There simply is not going to be any help for small businesses... there never has been and there never will be, unless you are lucky to be at the top of the "food" chain.

Can anyone point to any direct help this Government has given to small businesses, which employ a large percentage of Thailand's workforce, directly? And by that, I don't mean spending stimulus packages for customers, which only help the retail and hotel sector - I mean direct help provided to small businesses. My business certainly hasn't received one Baht of help, even in lockdowns, when bills still arrive, rent still has to be paid and social security barely covers staffs' living costs.

I understand the need for lockdowns and closures, but this shower have left many small business owners high and dry, as seen by the demise of so many. Sad.

October 16, 2020

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Police will pursue legal actions against all violators

All of them? Really? Gonna be a really busy weekend then, boys. Good luck with that. ????

September 17, 2020

The current complications caused by covid have led to open-season for immigration officials. Yes, it's wrong (OP), but please do not try to complain. The full wrath of the immigration money-making machine will come down upon you like a ton of bricks. I speak from personal experience, which I will not go into here. Even with your papers all in a row, kow-towing to them, they will find a way to make you jump through a multitude of extra, unnecessary hoops until they wear you down. Your choice then is to pay up or leave. I am sorry to the OP that we see the usual, petty, arrogant, self-important rubbish spouting from the ThaiVisa regulars here. THEY are part of the problem, not you.

September 2, 2020

absolute, utter twaddle

July 7, 2020

4 hours ago, webfact said:

he said that the excise tax on electric tricycles will be reduced from 4% to 2%

Gee, K Thanakorn, thank you so much! That's really going to help my business recover. I can't believe that no-one thought of this business-saving, job-saving, indeed life-saving measure until now. All the tourist businesses up and down the country must be overjoyed today on hearing this fantastic news. You are truly part of a Government that just keeps on giving (nothing). You must be so proud of yourself.

May 6, 2020

14 minutes ago, tokyoblond said:

Well, I just tried the android app (since I don't have Iphone)..... registration just shows "Service Error" when I tried to register..... so I guess that's a no-go either.

I finally got it to work! But.... because the 90-day report is less than 7 days (as in, I'm already late) it won't accept. Oh well, back to the drawing board..... like other posters, I don't trust Thai Immigration to not change the rules on 31 July, so that will be a trip to the immigration office for me.

May 6, 2020

30 minutes ago, bobonzo said:

I tried the site on my laptop and it did not work either. I got some error I did not understand. However on my iPhone, it work perfectly the first time. Two minutes max.

Well, I just tried the android app (since I don't have Iphone)..... registration just shows "Service Error" when I tried to register..... so I guess that's a no-go either.

May 6, 2020

My 90 day report is now overdue, as I cannot proceed beyond the first page on their webpage, having tried reporting for the last 5 days. I give up. I sincerely hope that they honour their amnesty.

May 5, 2020

I run a small business and I have not seen ONE measure that will help my (now closed) business. My staff (5 people) cannot even get the social security that they/I have paid for... they filled the documents online (6 weeks ago), then were requested to attend the social security office in Hua Hin (5 weeks ago), which they did, to complete the forms again. Yesterday, one was called by Prachuap Kirikhan Social Security (not Hua Hin) to complete the online forms a second time. Other than that, none of the others have received one baht from social security, despite us religiously paying their social security payments. I have tried to keep up some payments to my staff, but now my money is runnning dry, which will means no liquidity when (if) we can ever reopen.

As to business help.... not one baht, no calls, no letters; nothing.

I doubt my business will survive, as we have been told (after repeated telephone calls to relevant offices and departments) July 1 opening at the earliest. Sorry, Thai Government, you have failed miserably in my opinion.... actually, no, I'm not sorry. I'm angry.

Pity that they didn't ask for my response to their "survey", but silly me, I'm not a general nor a government employee, so there was no chance of them ever asking me. So, that will be 5 good Thai staff that will not be returning to work after this debacle is over.

Anyone want to buy an English school? Going cheap........

April 13, 2020

5 hours ago, ramr said:

https://brslawyers.com/news/coronavirus-covid-19-update-for-employers-in-thailand/

Thank you for this, ramr - most helpful.

Interesting (for me) that the only "help" for employers, so far, is that amazing 1% drop in Social Security payments; like that is going to help anyone in this current situation.

All of my staff/teachers are on Social Security. We each filled out the online form to claim, but received no notifications or information from them. When called, they said that each person had to attend their office to fill out the forms (which we had already completed online!) ..... social distancing and all that go out of the window when it comes to Thai bureaucracy! They said that we should expect it to take at least 2-3 weeks before we receive any further information from them (they didn't guarantee payments, even when my staff have been paying into the scheme). So, if you are actually covered by Social Security, be prepared for a wait... maybe a long wait.

April 9, 2020

Are these people serious? They take away peoples' income by forced business closures, leaving them dead in the water, then dangle a very small carrot in front of them (5,000 Baht), then decide that only 5% of them actually "qualify" for the money and then have the gall to threaten those very same people with legal action! These people are sick, sadistic monsters.

April 9, 2020

My staff are all covered by Social Security.... they pay and I pay every month. Now, my business has been forced to close down, and may never be able to reopen. Why should they not receive compensation from the Government? After all, that is why they were paying into the scheme. But no, only hotels and (maybe) tour guides are deemed worthy of this Government's help. In the meantime, I am having to cover their salaries as best I can, with no income. That, in itself, will lead to the business crashing, as I can't go on forever like this. Then, the Government will HAVE to pay out, probably even more in the long run. This situation has all been handled dreadfully by this Government, and I really hope it comes back to bite them on the *ss!

I have yet to hear of anyone who has received even 1 Baht from this shower, so where has all the money gone? Don't bother answering that. It was rhetorical. I already know.....

April 7, 2020

I own a small private English school and this is the worst news for us, although I understand 100% the reasoning behind it.

We have been closed for 3 weeks now, after being given less than 12 hours notice that we had to close. After that, nothing from the Ministry of Education - no emails, no phones calls, no letters... nothing!

I am still having to pay staff salaries (native-English teachers are not cheap!), pay rent, internet and small schools really don't make a huge profit. Two weeks ago I had everyone fill in the online forms for social security; no reply, no notifications, nothing.

I guess I'm like so many others who own businesses here - there has been no offer of help at all from the Government for us.... just sink or swim. Well, K Prayut, I'm sinking, so thank you for this extension.... it will be the death knell for my business.

And, before anyone gets on their high horse, yes, we are doing online classes, but they are not proving popular, because all of the parents likewise have no money, or are loathe to spend what little they have left, which (again) I understand fully.

It is a very sad situation and there will be millions of people around the world who will be ruined by this virus, myself included. Even sadder (for me) January and February were the best months we have ever had in our little school. Things were looking bright.....

March 26, 2020

1 hour ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

However, for those that are not aware, the online 90 day reporting service is available here: https://extranet.immigration.go.th/fn90onlinehttps://extranet.immigration.go.th/fn90online - complete with online instructions and details other requirements

So, that is a 404 Not Found page. Well done (again), Thai Immigration.

Not Found

The requested URL /fn90onlinehttps://extranet.immigration.go.th/fn90online was not found on this server.

March 23, 2020

1 hour ago, saengd said:

If the Central Bank doesn't address the liquidity problem in the bond market, the knock on effect on the people would be substantial because businesses would fail, people would become unemployed and the whole economy would be downgraded because the bonds would be seen as less secure.

But surely, that is what is hapening already, so how much good will it do? The only good it will do is keep the money where it always has been in Thailand. None of this is helping the lady selling fried chicken at the roadside, or the souvenir seller who scrapes together a profit each day.

The idea that all businesses should close for 2 weeks (or more), which I totally understand in the current situation, is all fine and dandy if you have 10 million baht in your bank account - let's all have a jolly holiday, eh? But the everyday people (yet again) are the ones that will be financially destroyed by this, not the people/insitutions that can afford to be investing in government bonds. Where is the help for the everyday employee now unemployed, or the small business owner, who now has 0 baht income? Oh, there's nothing left for them.... we spent it all on protecting our bonds.

October 13, 2017

Hi aidenai.... no, this has nothing to do with a temporary teaching permit.

I posted on Facebook too and got some interesting PMs...... it seems that a Thai lady set up an "English school" as a visa mill and was processing Non-B Visas for foreigners who never have been nor ever will be teachers. She was caught and the outcome of that is that ALL teachers with Non-B Visas/extensions in non-government schools (in this area) are now being given only 6 months. However, the teachers that have contacted me are all on extensions of 3, 4, 5+ years with schools that had nothing to do with this other corrupt school. The extensions, they (and I) are renewing our visa on are with legitimate, Ministry of Education licensed schools.

So, it seems that Immigration have decided to punish the "good guys" because of one "bad guy" (or one Thai lady, in this case). And who's going to fight them? Hua Hin is a relatively small town, and we all know that next year, or in 6 months, we still have to face that Immigration officer again and he or she can make it even more difficult for us next time. It is frustrating, not because of the cost but because of the paperwork, the medical, the preparation and all because of something/someone we had no control over and that had nothing whatsoever to do with us.

The mantra of bad guys out/good guys in is farcical if you decide to punish the good guys for the bad guys' indiscretions.

Sad all round, but TIT

October 12, 2017

Just a heads up for people teaching on a Non-B Visa (extension).

A little background first, to answer any inevitable questions that will be asked.

I am 54 years old. I am a registered teacher in the UK (full teaching qualification in the UK). I have 19 years of experience teaching English as a foreign language. I have been in Thailand on a Non-B Visa, extended for 8 years now. I work full-time at a non-Government English school.

Today, I went to do my extension for next year. The rules have changed, but I haven’t read anywhere about the changes. Now, teachers in non-Government schools are ONLY given 6 months extension. After 6 months, we have to apply again (at an additional 1,900 Baht)…. So, a non-B extension is now, in effect, 3,800 Baht for 1 year! This is at Hua Hin Immigration.

Another teacher that I know (not the same school) has just messaged me to say that they have been given the same extension, so it is not only me.

* edit: changed "visa" to "extension" because some clever bugger will make the point that I am not on a visa, but an extension of my original visa!

November 24, 2015

Just wanted to come to confirm what the original poster (dodos) said..... just got back from Hua Hin Immigration and was charged a "processing fee" for changing visa into new passport... quietly informed that "her back there"(?) insisted on it, and no receipt given.

I just accepted it (reluctantly) as very soon I will be applying for my extension.... you never know if you will get the same officer next time - better to be safe than sorry

November 21, 2015

Coincidence,dodos! I too had to go yesterday to transfer my visa to a new passport in Hua hin. Wasn't sure if I had to copy my old passport for them, so my Thai assistant called beforehand. No was the answer.... only the Thai Immigration form, the form from my passport office, plus the old and new passport. Got to the office and told I must make a full copy of my old passport . So I didn't transfer after all (I know they have a copying service), as I had to be back at work and didn't really have time.... I will go back on Monday.

Thank you oncearruge for the info... I too wasn't sure if there was a fee for the transfer.... now I know

After all these years, I wonder how many copies of my passport they have at the various Thai government offices..... come to that, how many photographs?!

June 29, 2014

I am now having exactly the same problem as the OP with Yahoo Mail... but it was ok until today

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