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I recall someone else asking on here for information. We never get any feedback from these people. There was also a Thai one. Today I get an email from BKK Uni with another survey. I dont hope they added us to a mailing list.

You did that condo very well and it was worth the price you offered. Only got to see it today. We ran into the same problem in Bangkok with a unit we bought. In the end to bring it to Western standards we spend almost the same value as the unit itself. I never thought that Thai standards could be such a hit and miss in the building industry. The wall in that picture on the balcony made me laugh. When we fitted aluminium rails to the unit we refitted we discovered that the walls were all skew. Redoing a unit in Thailand has its problems and you dont always make a profit on the resale because of the area. I have been down this road. Its a good lesson for others to learn.

The marriage visa they require you to actually show up with your wife and loads of photos from home and they take a photo of you with your wife as well at immigration on the computer. Not sure about the retirement visa but it sounds a bit odd.

Old problem making the rounds again with the Thai embassies. Started in Asia in last year and spread to the EU. http://www.thai-consulate.net/royal-thai-consulate-in-hull.html http://www.thai-consulate.net/thai-marriage-visa.html NOTE : If you are applying at the local Thai embassy in your country they may now require you to show at least 100,000THB in a Thai bank account. The Thai Embassy in Malaysia now requires that for the 12 month (multiple entry) marriage visa you must now show 400,000THB and the Thai Embassy in Amsterdam now requires you to show a minimum of €2,000 equivalent in a Thai bank account. -- I recall 2 years ago they would not issue an O visa if you are not married to a Thai or could not show a birth certificate of the Thai child. When you extend your visa now they stamp your passport "Thai wife" over the extended visa.

Thanks Martin!

What happened to the Members section while I was gone. I can only see the Open section.

Hi, The condo is located in Serene Place, Soi 24 in Bangkok. It's centrally located and is a few meters away from the Phrom Phong BTS station and Emporium shopping mall. Samitvej Hospital is less than 5 minutes away. The condo's well-maintained pool provides a relaxing space for the residents during their free time. Other amenities of the condo include a sauna and a gym. It's a 1 bedroom apartment at 49 SQM. Those who bought into the apartment block in 2007 are currently renting out the apartments for 45,000 Baht per month so it makes for an excellent investment at 9.5 million Baht. If you are interested PM me, safe to say it is foreign owned. The front of the building The bedroom View from the Balcony Balcony size and Aircon unit Swimming Pool Bathroom Kitchen Benjasiri park within walking distance from the condo

I have used that before when I was outside of Bangkok with no Internet connection. I did however use the mobile phone connected to the laptop to surf. I got about the same download speeds as a 56k modem. Not bad considering where I was sitting though!

http://www.thai-blogs.com/index.php/2008/0...n-part-1?blog=8 Please explain your background as a police officer. I’ve been a police officer for around 13 years and currently hold the rank of Sargeant Major. When I first entered the police force I only had a high school education (Grade 12). It wasn’t easy at all to become a policeman, I had to take the exam many times before I finally succeeded in passing. When I did manage to pass it, there were only 500 positions available compared to more than 10,000 who took the exam. So, in regards to educational qualifications, a high school certificate is enough to become a cop? Yes, 13 years ago, but now – No. The regulations have changed over the past few years. Anyone who wishes to take the police force entrance examinations these days must have a degree. Any old degree? No, in most instances you must have a degree in law. In fact, for those officers like myself who didn’t originally go to university, most of us have now graduated in the field of law from an open university. You earlier told me that you were attempting to pass your ‘Nai Roy’ examination, please explain again. Yes, last year I twice took the examination for non-commissioned police officers to become commissioned officers (lieutenant +). It was really tough, for the first examination 23,000 non-commissioned officers took the exam, competing for only 300 places. As for the second, the figures were very similar. The examination was completely ‘multiple choice’ – 100 questions mostly about law. I didn’t pass last year’s exams but I’ll try again the next time one comes up. As a police officer, can you decide whereabouts you work? No, that depends on the big bosses in Bangkok. They could turn around any day and tell me that I am moved to say Narathiwat or Yala in the deep south. They are usually understanding enough though, especially when you have children at school etc… If a policeman wants to move provinces, say join his wife upcountry, he has to try and find an officer in that province who is willing to swap location. If no-one wants to swap locations he will have to wait and wait until an empty position arises. This can take years, especially if it is well sought after locations like Bangkok or Chiang Mai etc…. The only officers who have a choice on where they work are the new commissioned officers straight out of university who have just joined the forces. Can you tell us about your current job as a police officer? Sure, I am what you say ‘Patrol Police’, one of those guys you see driving around two on a motorbike all day, patrolling the area, arresting suspects and also attending to 191 calls. On occasions, as I am a trained commando, in the event of a hostage crisis or something like that, I also get called in. What kind of crime do you have to deal with most? First up, has to be drugs. I probably spend half my time patrolling around just stalking down drug-addicts in possession of Ya Ba (methamphetamine pills). Second most common are thieves and especially those whose speciality is motorbikes. I also have to waste a lot of time dealing with drunks, angry wives and family fights that are disrupting their nieghbourhoods. And of course, the police are always called into solve matters which have nothing to do with them. This is one reason it is essential for a police officer like to me to have a degree in law; we get called into incidents which are either borderline arrests or a case for police intervention, so we have to make sure we know our stuff before bringing the matter to the station lieutenant. How dangerous is your job? Extremely. Please explain in more detail giving an example or two. Well, it is the patrol police like myself who has to enter places like slums, search or/and arrest drug-addicts and drug dealers etc…. Many of these criminals are often in possession of a weapon of some kind like a knife, baton or even a gun. Often, I have to call in assistance to arrest a drug-addict in possession, who is on a high crazed out brandishing a weapon. For search and arrest of drug-dealers the most dangerous times of all are when we have to pull-over vehicles, many of which aren’t just random but the result of investigation or a tip-off. A lot of these dealers shifting drugs in their vehicles are also carrying guns, either on their bodies or under their car seats etc… Some even think they are real smart and have their girlfriends carry the weapon under their blouse even skirt. Many have been known to fire at the police in the event of been ‘pulled over’. Until now, I have been personally lucky but a very close colleague/friend of mine was killed like this a couple of years ago. I’d like to ask more about criminals carrying drugs and what happens if they are female or ladyboys. If we suspect a girl has drugs on her we can give her a very brief search but if we don’t find anything we can take her down to the police station and have a female officer do a search. Often the girls carry the pills in intimate places. If it’s a ladyboy, and she has a pair of breasts say, we still have the right to check between them for drugs, she is still a man according to the law. But their rights in regards to the law are taking a turn in their defense. Many foreigners want to know this one in regards to policemen’s guns, bikes, uniforms etc… – What is Free and What is not? The motorbike is free (patrol police = 2 cops/1 bike) but at the end of our shift we have to return the bike to the station. Only if we have special permission from our bosses can we take the thing home. As for petrol, we get 1,200baht in allowance each month (for one bike) but this is no way enough, on average we spend around 100 baht a day on gas. When we become a cop we get a gun for free, but because it is usually old and scrappy, if we have the money, we buy our own. If we lose it (same goes for the bike, walkie-talkie etc…) we have to pay for it and the police force charges us cops the full-price for anything lost. Take this battered police walkie-talkie which is probably worth just 3-4,000 baht (he shows me) if I lose it, I have to pay around 18,000 for it! The police do have to pay for their own bullets (1 = 38baht) but in the case of special gun training we are given them for free. As for uniforms and boots etc…. we have to pay for all that out of our own pockets. One uniform costs around 1,800baht and a pair of boots is 1,500. I’m sure a lotta people would like to know how much salary does a typical police officer like yourself earn. My present salary is approx. 12,000baht, then I get 3,000 danger money and 1,000 rank bonus – so my monthly salary is basic 16,000. Then, if I or my colleagues make a big important arrest or meet or targets etc…. we receive financial awards to share out between us. When you first became a policeman what was your salary? Mmmm…in those days it was just 5,100baht for a new cop, these days it is now 7,200. How is rank related to amount of salary and how does promotion work? For non-commissioned officers like myself they aren’t very related, salary is based on work performance. The usual time period for promotion from one rank to another is three years but again your salary will only go up a lot if your work has been good. How many days off a week/month do you get? None. If we want a day off then we have to swap shifts with a colleague. A shift is 8 hours, any time of the day, so if we swap shifts that means we have to work 16 hours straight. We are though, allowed ‘leave’ but for this we have to ask our boss and give him a good excuse. How difficult is it, as a cop, to keep a ‘cool heart’? Very. We get called into deal with drunkards a lot and that is difficult. Often, they get angry or even start to throw punches or throw things at us. What rights do you have for carrying a gun? At all times. In theory, a police officer is never ‘off duty’, if he sees a crime at anytime he must deal with it. In our spare time, dressed in casual clothes, we should still carry our guns but they ought to be concealed under our shirts etc…. That is the regulation. When does a police officer have the right to shoot? Only if the suspect is carrying a weapon and shoots at us first. We are only allowed to fire once. If an average suspect turns around and tries to run away, I can only chase him. Do Thai police have taser guns? Very few and only in Bangkok, but as they are very dangerous, they are only used in the case of say a hostage crisis. Have you ever shot or/and killed anyone? Fortunately, no. When you become a policeman, do you have to take any kind of oath? Yes, with witnesses around, we have to plead allegiance in front of a portrait of the King and swear the Holy Trinity of ‘Nation’, ‘Religion’ & ‘Monarchy’. In your opinion, how do the general public view Thai police? Mostly positive. The people who don’t like the cops are usually the ones who often break the law themselves, like carrying drugs, gambling or committing driving offenses etc… Driving offenses - don't they have to do with the traffic police? A police officer is a police officer. It is our duty to crack down on any kind of criminal even if that suspect is involved in another branch of crime which is not directly related to ours. How old must an individual be before you can lock him up in a police cell? 14. Older than that but under 18, they are then sent to a Youth Detention Centre. A friend would like ask; is it possible to hire a police officer to be a bodyguard, escort a private car or even collect debts? Yes. If you wanted me to be your bodyguard then I can certainly be so, but only in my own spare time. Otherwise, same goes for escorting cars, you would have to contact the police station superintendent with good reasons. A fee needs to be paid too. As for collecting debts, that is none of my business. In such a situation, I could only go and explain the law to the one who owes the money. That is a matter for the judge to decide not the police. What about female police officers, what is their role? Mostly administration, they just sit in the office like at Immigration signing this and that and keying in data on their computer. There are a lot of female cops though in the police hospitals, many work as nurses and doctors. You will also find that a lot of the older ones also hold a high rank, such as Major or even Colonel. Do you like your uniform? Don’t you find it a bit tight! I read that they are going to bring in a new ‘cool’ looking one. Are you glad about that? I like my current uniform. As for the idea about bringing in a new uniform, I have seen the pictures of it and I don’t like it, it looks silly. The uniform is a bit tight but not as tight as what you might think. You see (he shows me) the buttons aren’t real, they are fake – there is only a shirt zip – the fake buttons are only there to make the thing look tight. It’s like an optical illusion. What type of criminals do you detest the most? I really hate the influential ones with their big connections. They are often high ranking individuals who deal in drugs or something like that. I can do nothing to arrest them as I have ‘no evidence’. If I see an old one in a restaurant surrounded by lots of pretty girls, I know he is scum, but I can only look on. If I say anything, then me myself will get into trouble – the guy has big money and big friends, often politicians. Have you ever though, arrested any ‘big shots’ or Hi-So teenagers etc..? Sure, but they aren’t as big as the ones I just mentioned. A couple of months ago, I pulled over some teenagers for a driving offense – six on a motorbike and drunk. The driver was the son of a high ranking person. When I stopped him he said “Do you know who my dad is?” I replied “No”. Next, he was on the phone to his dad and asked me to talk to him. I completely refused and just arrested him. I told him to tell his dad to come to the police station. Recently, I also arrested a nephew of the former provincial police chief for a similar offense. What type of suspect, if any, do you take pity upon? I feel really sorry for many girls who get arrested alongside their boyfriends who are carrying drugs. Often, the girl doesn’t know that her boyfriend is shifting drugs, she is simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, when we call him over to do a search. Most of the time, the girls are finally let off ‘Scot-free’ but at first, I have to arrest them too. I also take pity on teenage boys who get charged for under-age sex, I mean I used to be a teenager myself. I had to arrest one young boy lately who was 18, but his girlfriend was just 14. The father of the girl was a teacher and it was him who called the station and filed the charge. When we arrested the boy (in the girl’s bedroom) and took him down the station, his girlfriend was throwing a frenzy; screaming and kicking, she was even kicking and punching her dad. On that day, I didn’t blame the boy, I really blamed the father – he was obnoxious. The boy was finally sentenced and sent to prison. Interesting. Can you tell us anymore interesting times as a police officer? Of course. I’ll start with this one. Last year I was ‘off duty’ in plain clothing and went to have a noodle soup at a shop which also sold beer. When I was there some guy called me over and offered me a beer, since he was paying like, I agreed to join him. He asked me what I did for a living and I explained that I was a cop. Anyway, after half an hour or so, this guy was obviously getting seriously drunk and suddenly started getting really mouthy. He was shouting things to me like “You are not a f**king cop, you f**king wa*ker”. I got up and went to the toilet. When I came out and was walking to my bike outside, he smacked me on the back of my head with a beer bottle. He went back to his table and just carried on drinking! So, I called in the police and he was arrested. In the morning, behind bars, he was full of bruise marks. Supposedly, the night before in the cell, he had been swearing and making trouble with the other inmates and got into some fights! When the lieutenant called me over to face him, the guy claimed that he couldn’t remember me, in fact he reckoned he couldn’t remember the slightest about the night before! I can clearly remember the time too a few years ago when I was just signing in. In came to the station this old scruffy looking guy who just planted himself down in front of my desk. Right in front of me he lit up a big Ganja joint and placed a big bag of it on my desk. Then he said “Please arrest me”. It had came to light, that the guy had just been released from prison after having been there for 15 or so years. He had nowhere to go - no money, no food. He simply wanted to go back to prison. I didn’t arrest him but called in a member of a local charity organization for the poor. I also gave him 100 baht. A colleague of mine also told me of another similar case where a ‘tom-boy’ committed a crime directly in front of him as she wanted to go back to prison; she missed her lover. A short while back, my colleague and I were called in by some villagers about a monk from their local temple. So, when we arrived, thinking that perhaps the monk was taking drugs or something, we were lead up to the top of a house. Instead, there in the woods, was a monk with his robes off having it off with a nun. We had to explain to the villagers of course that we as cops could nothing about this except contact the temple abbot. In fact, us police are constantly called in to deal with matters that have nothing whatsoever to do with the police. Like problems about minor wives, child maintenance, divorce and debts etc…. These kinds of issues can only be settled in court.

I think this has come up before - the flooding issue.

That would be an interesting post!

A Thai work Permit would range from 14-16,000 Baht. The renewals would be cheaper as it is just an extension of the old one. Setting up a company would depend on what type of money we are talking about. Thai limited company, partnership or if you have more than 20 million baht to invest it comes with lots of advantages as a BVI can be setup. 1. Sunbelt Asia. http://www.sunbeltasia.com They have a good listing of franchises available for sale. Greg is a nice guy to deal with and he knows the Thai business scene when it comes to franchise development rather well. I think he would agree that buying into a franchise has a better chance of success than any of the second hand business he sells in Thailand. 2. Siam Legal. http://www.siam-legal.com They are a full service law firm with branch offices all over Thailand. Dennis manages the firm and he tends to give you the low down straight. No pissing about. They do small corporate setups and large corporate development projects. They have loads of expatriate attorneys and specialize in property and immigration. These are the two firms that most expatriates use as they are affordable brand name firms.

He is wrong and you are correct. Advice from one official varies to the next.

700,000 Baht. That is what a friend of mine paid for his pool in Bangkok about 4 years ago. Depends on the ground where it is being built too. He needed 2 meter steel pipes sunk every 100cm or something silly. Running costs are low as once his daughter grew tired of it he changed it into a fish pond.

"Lately".....as in the last week. True has been terrible for the last week. Getting Yahoo to load is a pain! There appears to be problems with the bandwidth running to the US at the moment.

They are basically the same being an extension of the "O" visa. The difference is in the extension thereof. If you want to extend it for a year based on "Retirement" then you need to hold 800,00 Baht. If you want to extend it on the bases of a Thai wife or "Marriage" then 400,000 Baht has to be shown.

Thai AirAsia’s Bangkok-Ranong direct flights have been in operation since the inaugural flight on 23 November 2007. The new Bangkok-Ranong service is available three times a week — on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The route is served by Boeing 737-300 aircraft, with 148 seats per flight.

Excellent Hammer! Thanks.

Looks suspect to me!

Is that a woman on the left as I see Winston so it raises uncertainty?

Sad but true as I have always said someone will always try the impossible!

Well then they are in for a hell of a ride mate! Carrefour would be one of the first on their arses.

Let me then rephrase it. A binding contract can only be legal. You cannot have a binding contract for an illegal act.

Where does it state that? I would think that most foreign owned businesses in Thailand are owned on a 49/51% bases. Not just the shelf companies owning houses but actual businesses. This being the reason why the British Chamber of Business objected to the drafting of the new FBA. They objected on 3 issues: 1. In its WTO commitments, Thailand guaranteed equal national treatment of businesses of WTO member countries, provided foreign equity investment was limited to 49%. There was no mention of voting rights or management control. The present proposals breach Thailand’s WTO commitments. 2. Many foreign companies in Thailand have adopted a corporate structure whereby the foreign minority shareholders are given effective control, by creating two classes of shares with differential voting rights. Such structures are legal and have been accepted for registration by the Ministry of Commerce for many years. The present proposals will change the law and make these structures illegal. 3. Malaysia, Vietnam, China and India, are all competing to attract foreign investment by creating corporate structures and taxation incentives that are better, or at least as attractive, as their competitors. It thus seems rather strange that by approving a narrowing of the definition, and not considering further de-regulation, Thailand is going in the opposite direction, and presenting to the world an image of a protectionist and inward looking economy. The land office will only recognize 30 years. That is correct. That is why there is a second contract to compel the signing of the next 30 year lease. That you can do in numerous ways to ensure the second 30 years lease either with an order to compel or a financial penalty for non performance. A contract can only be legal. You cannot contract an illegal act.

Your guess would be as good as mine! Foreigners are generally not allowed to own land in Thailand, even though the Land Code, since it was first promulgated in 1954, has provided that foreigners may own up to one Rai (1,600 square meters) of land for private residence, but only upon being granted approval by the Minister of the Ministry of Interior. This approval has practically never been given. So these would be the options: 1. Through a Thai Limited Company The FBA is still in the pipeline and will surface under the new government. A foreigner may own a land in the name of a Thai company provided that majority of the shares are Thai owned (at least 51% of shares are Thai and 49% are foreign). A foreigner is allowed to have effective management and control of this company and therefore, has a secure freehold ownership over the land. 2. Investment (BOI) A foreigner, who invests 40 million Baht for no less than 5 years, is entitled to buy up to one rai (1,600 square meters) of land for residential purposes. Permission from the Ministry of Interior must be obtained. 3. By marriage to a Thai In 1999, Thai property law, concerning a Thai whose spouse is foreign, has been amended for a favor of a Thai with a foreign spouse. Such couple may now legally own a land in Thailand. Nevertheless, the land must be registered under a name of a Thai. Also, a foreign spouse must sign a declaration stating that the funds using to buy a land is of a Thai spouse, so that he/she waives his/her right to the ownership of land. 4. Lease Leasing is another option for a foreigner to acquire land. The maximum duration of a lease under Thai property law is 30 years, with a possibility to renew again (for another 30 years) if agreed. This is the least complicated option for a foreigner to have a right of usage of land. The land lease over 3 years must be registered at the Land Department. 5. Structure Ownership A company or the Thai spouse of a foreigner may grant a Right of Superficies in favor of the foreigner, giving him the right to personally own all constructions situated on the land. By using this possibility, a foreign individual can be registered as the owner of a house without owning the land. The Right of Superficies can be conceded for a period of 30 years and can be renewed for another 30 years (but not automatically). NOTE: Before buying land, an essential step to the process is to conduct a “Title Search”.