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Thai-Spy

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Posts posted by Thai-Spy

  1. TAT is confident that Thailand will welcome up to 16.8 to 17 million foreign visitors this year, bringing at least 600 billion baht into the country

    Which works out to an average spend of 36,000 baht per visitor. Which in turn, taking into account the average length of stay, means the average hasn't moved significantly in years. So much for luring the "high-quality tourists" in significant numbers. And given the strengthening of the baht against most foreign currencies, it may actually be a step backwards.

  2. The word "artist" is thrown around far too casually in the article. What is being talked about are "performing artists" (to use the term very loosely) who are doing little more than hacking their way through bad covers of somebody else's songs. Virtually none of them will be people of unique talent losing the opportunity to compose and refine original compositions of any quality.

    Edit for spelling.

  3. Just as a general observation, the bus in the accident is operated by Roong Ruang Coach, which operates between Pattaya and Bangkok (both Ekamai and Mor Chit).

    I have been living in Pattaya for close to 18 years now, and, albeit memory doesn't get any better with age, I do not recall them having had an accident with casualties before. Obviously they did have the regular fender bender etc.

    The same company also runs the airport bus service (from Thapraya road, opposite Pan Pan resto), and those all have 3 point seat belts. Lets hope it's a wake up call for them to increase driver vetting/testing and upgrade their other vehicles with seat belts .

    Thanks for bringing some sense to the discussion. Roong Ruang has a very good safety record considering the load and distance factors, and agreed that no prior fatalities come to mind. Their Pattaya service is an absolute cash cow and they seem to understand that safety does matter.

    We'll have to wait for the final report on the accident to get any insight into the cause. It could be driver error or mechanical failure or both.

    This service is not the craptastic Isaan red bus between Nakhon Nowhere and a string of fly-speck thesabans. To make the comparison is like putting a commuter airline and home-built aircraft in the same discussion. Most of those up-country red buses should be taken out of service; Roong Ruang's equipment is generally of recent vintage and well maintained although the "spare" buses are a little long in the tooth sometimes.

  4. I might be missing something here. Who was arrested for what? Was the crime operating a business without a license or something? If they were arrested for disturbing the other hotel guests were they warned beforehand? Are parties that include sex illegal, or does one have to charge as does the prostitutes to make it acceptable although still illegal? Was there a building code violation because the room couldn't sustain the weight and poundings on the floor/walls etc? So you have friends up the a$$, why do the police have to get involved and the people that cum here with money to spend get reamed? What the phlock? <_<

    The charges against the organizers may have stemmed from the language of the laws against procuring for purposes of prostitution or brothel-keeping. Thai statutes tend to be vaguely written and the police have a lot of latitude in investigations and arrests. Whether one faces formal charges, indefinite remand and a public trial or buys their way into the less embarrassing option of anonymous deportation is another matter. Clearly the RTP saw a chance to make a nice profit and some shiny social-order/traditional-values headlines and took it. A pitiful waste of manpower and resources when there are far more pressing matters needing attention.

  5. When I used... Phuket Spy... same as www.chiangmaispy.com ... they were FARANG owned with extensive operations out of Bangkok. They were very professional and did exactly what I asked them to do. I know there are other agencies out there... but I dont have any experience with Thai-Spy organization... I am only speaking from my personal experience with this company... and it was good.

    I have heard horror sories about scam companies out there... only take your money... so you do need to be careful.

    Good luck!

    There's an interesting coincidence here that invites clarification, please.

    In http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Private-Inve...50#entry2473150 you wrote:

    I used this company in PHUKET... they also have a business in Chiang Mai... www.chiangmaispy.com .... they got what i needed.

    And over here in http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Jobs-Chiang-...22#entry2473122 you wrote:

    Hello all...

    I have a need for a couple of local programmers in CHIANG MAI. I have tried placing ad on CITY LIFE... but no luck. I have some new sites launching www.chiangmaiclassifieds.net and www.thaiautosales.com ... and I really need to find a local PHP | AJAX programmer that can work with me side by side on these sites.

    Thanks in advance for your help!

    Funny thing is, we take a look at the 4 domains cited:

    http://whois.domaintools.com/phuketspy.com

    http://whois.domaintools.com/chiangmaispy.com

    http://whois.domaintools.com/chiangmaiclassifieds.net

    http://whois.domaintools.com/thaiautosales.com

    and we quickly see that all 4 domains are registered to the same person, using the same "aadams007" email address. And the registrant name... doesn't that sound like it could have inspired the ThaiVisa username "ASHTONITE"?

    So in order to help the ThaiVisa readership put your PI recommendations into context, maybe some disclosure on your business relationships with the firms you recommend is in order.

  6. Has anyone any experience or advice that they can pass on about engaging the services of a private investigator?Its nothing sordid or untoward or even a legal matter simply trying to locate a family member last known to be in the area.

    The problem I forsee is that I am stuck in the UK for now and would be open to all sorts of cons,so fellow forum-ers,what say you?

    Thanks in advance for your help and advice

    shocks

    I used this company in PHUKET... they also have a business in Chiang Mai... www.chiangmaispy.com .... they got what i needed.

    That link came up with a blank. :o

    Hmmmm... works for me... http://www.chiangmaispy.com/

    We hope this clarification passes muster with the TV management. It's not our intention to draw undue attention to ourselves as a marketing exercise, just to prevent any possible confusion.

    If you look at the website above, at the top of every page they proclaim themselves to be, quote "Thai Spy!" The exclamation point strikes us as being ambitious, but the main point I'd like to make is that they aren't affiliated with us. We're Thai-Spy.com Thailand Private Investigators and we have no relation whatsoever to chiangmaispy, phuketspy, spythai, ad nauseum... After we'd made our bones and built a solid operational history, any number of imitators with the word "spy" in their name came out of the woodwork; it's flattering and annoying at the same time, but par for the course. In a nutshell, we ain't them and them ain't us. We have an extremely limited joint operational agreement with precisely one other agency (T.B.G.I.) and otherwise seek to steer clear of outside entanglements.

    I have always heard that the PI's in Thailand were basically part of the mafia.

    That wouldn't surprise me one little bit.

    When you consider that the police are part of it (the mafia) the flower sellers are controlled by it, all shops and stalls in the night bazaar were (maybe still are) controlled by it, "the list is infinite", one might be better trying to find who "is not" part of the local "Cosa Nostra"

    Any Thai-owned and Thai-operated investigative agency will almost invariably be run by a current or former member of the RTP. That in itself satisfies for some people the definition of "mafia". It's also a matter for personal speculation whether or not any of the BIB would bring the debatable practices of Thai law enforcement into the their sphere of operations as private investigators. It's at least worth considering that a Western-owned agency is more likely to operate to a Western standard.

    Shameless plug: If you haven't already done so, try to pick up a copy of the January 2009 issue of The Big Chilli magazine. Along with several other agencies, we did interviews with their staff writer, Adam Purcell, that give some insights into the local PI life and the "men in the shadows" as Adam put it.

    Edited for spelling.

  7. If the Italian man is named as the father on his son's birth certificate, then absent any other claims (such as from the Italian wife, any Italian children or another Thai child) the Thai courts should recognize the son as the Italian's sole heir. Thus the boy becomes the owner of his father's interest in the company (presumably a Thai company), although because of his age he cannot exercise his voting rights or other rights and a guardian must be appointed.

    The opposite is true of any assets which are held in Italy. The Italian wife will probably claim those unless the son's representative files with a court there. The existence of an Italian will would further complicate things.

    In general, it's probably more trouble than it's worth to try to get the condo out of the company name and into the son's name. To do so would likely either involve the fees of wrapping up the company (which as a juristic person does not die simply because the natural person owning it does) or selling the condo to the son which would incur tax liabilities.

    To meet the immediate cash crisis the Thai wife may want to contact an officer at the Thai banks where the Italian held his accounts. She should ask them what documentation they require to recognize the son as the Italian's heir and gain legal control of those accounts. It may prove to be as simple as presenting the son's birth certificate (again assuming the Italian is named as the father) and a translated copy of the Italian death certificate.

  8. With all due respect, Crossy, your example isn't precisely one that applies to the OP's situation. The lady in question was given more than the normal maximum value of the visa exempt stamp (for most nationalities anyway). The OP was simply presented with the dilemma of the normal maximum or a reduced number of days under one possible counting scheme.

    Given the fact that different points of entry are still interpreting the 180-day VE regulations in different ways, one can imagine a situation where one border post uses a looser interpretation and gives a longer admittance period, then a more strict exit point declares an overstay.

    The situation with Immigration is frankly a bit ridiculous at least on this one narrow issue. They push too much of the responsibility back onto the individual traveler. If they make a mistake on the dates, they should own up to it and not punish someone who probably only has a vague familiarity with the fine points of the immigration regulations but still seeks to comply with the stamp they are given.

    Much of the blame can be laid on the antiquated computer systems they are using, or in many cases failing to use.

  9. If the OP has correct dates, you stamped out of Thailand in February, is that correct? In that case, there has been more than enough time for your TM.6 Departure card to have gone to the data processing center and been input into the Immigration computers which will now accurately reflect your status.

    Even if they can't find the old stamp for calculation of your remaining visa exempt days, the absence of a Thai overstay stamp will invite them to use the maximum value of 30 days for that calculation.

    If the matter is questioned when you enter Thailand again, just calmly repeat the facts as you've done here, and emphasize the procedure kept you from checking for the exit stamp until you'd already left Thailand. Don't hesitate to get a supervisor involved and insist they check your computerized immigration record in detail; the prior entries and exits you've made are all in there, they just need to dig for them.

    You might even ask what can be done to replace the missing stamp to keep from bumping up against this problem in the future. All in all you have little to worry about.

  10. It helps to present your passport to the Immigration examiner open to the page with your visa.

    If you do stockpile TM.6 Arrival/Departure cards, make sure you check the old one you complete before boarding against the one you're given in-flight. This form can be changed without prior notice.

    Bless AirAsia for giving out the TM.6 on the ground before boarding international flights.

  11. There culture and the practise of Buddhism is as relivant in day to day life for the average Thai, as is culuture and religion to the average Christian in his day to life (and the words Buddhism and Christianity and be replaced with the words Asian and Westerner if you wish - the same thing applies).

    The point is: while I see where your argument is coming from, you are as wrong to define the average Thai against the background of the criteria you used, as it would be to define a Westener against the background of Christianity or any cultural practise that applied to the country he came from.

    Firstly I think you hugely underestimate the extent to which Buddhism is a part of the life of most Thais.

    And secondly I think you underestimate the extent to which Christianity has and still does influence your own Western life. Western law, morality, philosphy, litterature, language and art are all saturated with Christian teaching.

    Well said GuestHouse, as a student of European Medieval History, which is simply the history of the rise of Christianity and it's influence on every aspect of society I know exactly what your talking about.

    If you care to further the parallels, Thailand is still quite a long way from its Renaissance and Reformation. That is, if either is even possible in the age of mass media and for a strongly decentralized faith like Buddhism.

  12. Sexual gratification? Brings a whole new meaning to the question "Do you smoke after sex?"

    Edited to removed unwanted emoticon

    Yes. A small percentage of arsonists actually masturbate at the crime scene.

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