[Foreign property owners now allowed to return to Thailand]

On 10/10/2020 at 11:09 AM, Eibot said:

Who are these idiots making these rules?

 

Beijing probably. It's clear that a western foreigner depopulation agenda is active.

[Crackdown on illegal foreign teachers: Heavy fines and deportation for those without work permits]

I think one of the problems schools have here resulting in not really wanting to bother with work permits is that they have to be more trasnsparent with their tax records/general accounting and so forth if they do, hence the preference of using agency teachers now (as the teachers can be transient too). For many decent schools WPs are not a problem, but for the smaller ones or ones that are just private family businesses it may be more of an issue to be that transparent. Also, it seems these days that being a teacher at a high school or elementary school (basically teaching minors) is a fool's errand with all the nonsense they throw at you from the impossible-to-deal-with Khurusapha government teacher license department to the schools' foot-dragging to get work permits and failing to back-you-up at immigration much, along with all this sort of nonsense being talked about too (crackdowns etc.). From what I gather, it is far less hassel and out of the firing line teaching in tertiary education ... I guess due to the fact that you are not teaching minors.

[Senator’s black Mercedes parked in hospital’s ER zone creates furore in social media]

Pretty cheap Charlie and crappy Merc for a senator. Was expecting at least an S300.

[Household debt has risen to alarming levels over past decade, BOT study finds]

I think the actions of that Kasikorn CEO that became finance minister for 22 days and then did a hasty exit says it all. He took one decent long look at the real figures and thought to himself "To hell with this" as he obviously didn't want to be the fall guy.

[Police and immigration check credentials of foreign teachers at two more Sarasas schools]

On 10/3/2020 at 10:11 AM, rooster59 said:

These measures follow allegations of child abuse by a Thai kindergarten teacher, two Thai nannies and an illegal Filipino at a Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphreuk School and a further allegation at one of their branches in Lat Krabang against a western kindergarten teacher. 

How about checking all the "Thai nannies" or Thai kindergarten teachers and their "credentials" as well, instead of just charging straight for the foreigners? You can see it how the slight-of-hand and misdirection is already covering it all up and trying to shift the blame elsewhere. The errant Filipino (and thus foreigners) is just low hanging fruit and a convenience punch bag to deflect flak away from the Thais caught up in it.  

[New police chief lays down the law: No more checkpoints nationwide]

On 10/3/2020 at 10:38 AM, Bluetongue said:

Perhaps the fixed extortion points on Highway 304 might go, the ones where everyone has to slow down, drive through the cones, and the truck drivers at certain times automatically pay 20 baht (well at least it was a couple of years ago).

Yes, these ones on Highway 304 that are on both sides between Wang Nam Khiao and Kabin Buri over the mountains through the UNESO site are notably cynical and blatantly farm the traffic, at 500 baht a pop, as it's the only way to go (without a long detour) if you want to travel there. If there were any fixed police stops that need to be discontinued, then these are prime examples of the blatant extortion of motorists that goes on all the time and are manned by keen fascists.
 

[Thai PM wants all tourists to wear wristbands - we're not opening the floodgates]

Tourists to wear GPS trackers, probably to be extended to expats and all foreigners eventually if they get their way. Just another move to please their masters in Beijing as they slowly, inch by inch, pony-up Thailand to the evil empire. And that creep goes to the UN and gives a speech about how every country must resist the dangers of nationalism ... pass me the barf bucket. Surprised his nose wasn't 4 foot long during that speech as he sprayed the room with BS.

[Current situation at Trendy Building (Renew UK passport)]

Thanks for all the replies and some good current useful info there.

[Current situation at Trendy Building (Renew UK passport)]

I know you can get the photos done at the place on the ground floor but then that's a bit of an issue if you need them to be countersigned. How strict are they on the "significant appearance change" ... does it have to be a ludicrous difference or just something like you lost weight or gained it. Has anyone had any experience/issues on that or was it pretty lax?

[Current situation at Trendy Building (Renew UK passport)]

Thanks for the info on collection.

[Current situation at Trendy Building (Renew UK passport)]

Hi folks,

Has anyone out there been and done their renew passport there recently as have to do mine soon? Would just like to know if anything has changed recently or any new requirements have emerged. Also, anyone know how long it takes to get the passport back at the moment? I'm guessing that it isn't that busy there at the moment but if anyone has a heads-up on these things or anything else relevant ... then it would be appreciated. I read Richard Barrow's blog on him doing his passport but it's from last year. 

[Thai bank gives thumbs up to STV plan - "wealthy" tourists with high spending power best place to start]

Why would your generally wealthy tourist want to come here and jump through all the hoops unless they are somehow connected to the place through family or business etc. You may be able to appeal to the hordes of ill-mannered Chinese but that is hardly a victory on the quality front. Can't have your cake and eat it. As an aside, then TAT really does need to stop chasing-the-dragon on a daily basis and issuing nonsense stats.

[Thai govt eyes new visa rules in bid to woo investors]

The problem here is that the goal posts keep changing depending on the whims of the present and those in control in the now. There is no continuity or constant rule of laws and it simply depends on which way the wind is blowing today. Investors don't like that, especially ones who will end up not outright owning the companies they start-up or that suddenly find the Thailand government has had a "rethink" about something and all deals that were made under previous laws etc. are now void. And that's before we even get into the crappy exchange rates and useless workers. Maybe we should go ask Carlsberg, Pepsi or the gold mining company about what it's like.

[Video: Wrong way driver - for FIVE kilometers - says GPS made him do it]

Maybe if Hun Sen ever goes on trial he could say the same ... "She made me do it all."

 

 

[Biden to lay out vision for post-Trump America as he accepts Democratic nomination]

Biden needs to start coming out with some serious policy which he has been extremely light on thus far. Needs to make there be some clear water between him and Trump as just banging the hate Trump drum might not be enough.

[Majority of Scots support independence from UK - YouGov poll]

Galloway has it right when he says all Scottish people, whether in Scotland or not, should have a vote as many plan in the future to return and believe they should have input into it. People that live abroad as expats have the right to vote in elections by post, so why shouldn't that be the case for this one too? ... especially when a Malaysian student on a 5 year visa studying in Scotland gets a vote in the independence referendum like last time and Scots outside Scotland didn't. That, I'm afraid, is total nonsense and SNP BS ... along with every idiotic 16 year-old voting too. 

[Victims of an online scam turn to national police for help]

Just the usual greedy types that fail to realise there is always risk with everything and should have known better. 10% is La-La Land at the moment and should have seen it coming as too good to be true. Scams are everywhere now. Strange that these people think there is a safety net on this sort of stuff ... morons.

[Phuket Governor urges hope, confident domestic tourism will bring B100mn relief]

always the optimistic nonsense. Soon many will have nothing plus no job and it will only be the privileged that will be able to holiday and the present government will get their dream of just rich tourism ... but at what cost?

[Four vehicle smash in Cha-Am leaves seven injured]

More than likely a mix of speeding and tail-gating.

[CCTV: Large male "Celebrity Fighter" attacks female pump attendant in Hua Hin]

Probably the roids that made him hair-trigger and a Richard.

[President Xi stresses economic cooperation with Thailand]

Sugar coated words from a regime that could be equated to the Borg Collective from Star Trek pretty much. If I were the leaders of Thailand or Singapore then I'd be uncomfortable with this sort of wording. Many of the other places around here have willingly fallen and seems Thailand's elite is in the process of selling their country down the river to the Chinese monster. If the Thais are smart then they will play both sides, as they always have done, to keep some sort of independence ... but I'm not so sure this time, could be all over soon. This high speed train line could seal it and put them in the Chinese pocket for keeps along with the offers of loans/bailouts etc. I'd guess in 15 years there will be Chinese bases here and CCP soldiers running around doing stuff.

[Dutch police say they discover criminal gang's torture chamber]

I remember a couple of quotes from the film Snatch, including ... "You can keep the fat fcuker because the lads can't lift him" in that same setting and the one "Sounds like hostility John, we don't like hostility John ... do we? No Errol, no we don't."

[U.S. coronavirus cases hit 3 million, stoking fears of overwhelmed hospitals]

3 million cases and like a few % of those are deaths ... nothing really when you consider 3 million is way less than 1% of the population. Just a case of scaring the living brown stuff out of everyone by the media. There are many diseases and those that will die will die sadly ... check the malaria figures each year. Is it really worth destroying our whole way of life and economy for such small numbers that would probably be gone soon anyhow? The real thing to do for all sane countries is to 86 China ... they are the problem.

[Two dead, eight wounded in South Carolina nightclub shooting]

If you look at the demographics of who commits most of this crime, then you can see the truth. The truth is the truth ... not racism. It is truth that most blacks some place like Chicago/London etc. are killed in gang violence/crime by other blacks, it's not racist to say that ... it's just the truth and the truth is just that, not racism. If you speculated and have no stats or credible figures to back it up, then yes, that could be construed as discriminatory/racist as it might just be conjecture. Western countries will be awful places to live if it keeps on going down the toilet like it has been. As for people with a grievance then there are legal ways to sort it out or change things in western countries (much more so than most other places) ... and if you want to get illegal and undermine society instead then you can do what everyone is often told to do here in Thailand (often on this forum too), which is, if you don't like it you know where the airports are. 

[Survey shows steady rise in cost of living for expats in Bangkok]

Not just Bangkok but the whole of Thailand. You have a choice now, be like the locals and eat cheap or spend a shed load of money for a reasonably normal standard of living. It is a myth that Thailand is a cheap place to live or visit unless you are going fully native.