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If this Heineken wants to squeeze more profits out of his empire, let him raise rates just as airlines have raised fares. If consumers are willing to pay his rates, that’s free enterprise. But he’s looking for a “beard” in the form of a government mandate. The Thailand unemployment rate fell to 1.37% in the second quarter of the year. The country can not even attract sufficient foreign workers for its burgeoning construction or food processing industries. There was a recent article that the hospitality industry was having problems attracting service workers. Doesn’t sound like it needs government intervention to me.

Construction workers doing new sidewalks on Silom Rd. made quick work of installing a new entrance/driveway for Soi 4. The new—and outrageously noisy—bar at the opposite side, BiPolar, has become a Friday-Saturday only club 🙂. A new Thai eatery, Silver Sand, occupies it otherwise. It’s worth glancing at the menu if for no other reason than to gaze at the very cute captain within. Although I can’t confirm it, it’s my hope that BiPolar will confine itself to the second floor above the restaurant, thereby hopefully reducing the blare.

I have twice applied successfully for an electronic 60-day tourist visa. It was done through the Thai Immigration portal and processed by nearest Thai consulate. No need to travel there or physically send passport. Cost ($45) paid by credit card. they key to making this as painless as possible is to assemble copies of documents they require before applying and follow step-by-step instructions. The tourist visa can be extended an additional 30 days. See OP. IMO, it’s as easy now to arrive in Thailand as it was pre-Covid. And it you enter by end of March, most westerners get 45 days. As for tourist numbers, most flights are arriving full and carriers are regularly adding capacity. Thai just disclosed that it intends to reactive some of its A380s along with some 777s and A330s.. I can tell you that the number of Japanese tourists has increased markedly in the past few weeks, based on what I see nightly when I walk Soi Thaniya and what massage workers on Soi Six tell me. Visitors from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea also on the upswing.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon The announcement by the head of the Royal Thai Police that some expats can now extend their stay by uploading documents online has caused substantial head scratching by the target groups. At the moment, foreigners already in Thailand who want to stay longer than their initial visa or stamp allows must queue up at immigration bureaux nationwide with their documentation and photos at the ready. The new optional scheme described by police general Damrongsak Kittipraphet is currently a pilot available only in Bangkok with a promise for national implementation later on. The software has not been devised by Thai immigration but by VFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specializing in governments and embassies worldwide. All Thai immigration extensions of stay are currently 1,900 baht (around US$50), but use of the latest scheme will cost an additional 500 or 1,500 or even 5,000 baht fee online to process the application between 1 and 7 days. Cash cows haven’t gone away. However, the pilot scheme requires the applicant in person actually to pick up their new e-visa sticker at Bangkok immigration headquarters at Chaeng Watthana Road by showing their online receipt and their passport. So the scheme is not wholly electronic, only the initial registration, submission of documents and fee payment. The official publicity suggests that queuing at immigration will be thus reduced from about one hour to three minutes, although the generalization is certainly suspect. The website’s supplementary notes point out unsurprisingly that foreigners on overstay cannot avail themselves of the scheme. There is some ambiguity which visas can actually be extended under the pilot. Visitors who have a 30 days visa on arrival, a 60 days tourist visa or a 45 days visa exempt are clearly included as are foreigners with a Thai spouse or dependants and wannabe students too. Those seeking an annual extension of stay based on retirement are specifically excluded, perhaps because the documentation required for them varies a great deal according to the immigration office responsible. Some work permit holders are specified, especially teachers and those employed by government agencies. The published details are at thaiextension.vfsevisa.com Optimists believe the pilot is a first step in the move to create a completely-integrated system online. They point out that Thai embassies worldwide have now mostly adopted an online system which cancels the need for most potential travellers to Thailand to attend the diplomatic mission in person or even to submit their passport for scrutiny. Pessimists see the scheme just announced as a bureaucratic jumble based on confusing software which doesn’t work properly in any case. The history of electronics in Thai immigration procedures is mixed. The online appointments system at offices nationwide collapsed during the Covid pandemic and has not been resuscitated nationwide. On the other hand, the online facility for expats to report their address on a three monthly basis is relatively successful in most areas. All we can say for sure is that Thailand’s historic immigration bureaucracies are well-fortified and unlikely to crumble any time soon. If ever.

From the Thaiger An 18 year old allegedly boasted on social media that he escaped being charged with the murder of a 14 year old boy because his family is rich and powerful. Thai social media is outraged that 18 year old Dome killed 14 year old Fluck and bragged about it on Twitter. Netizens are furious after seeing the trending hashtag on Thai Twitter: “18-year-old kills 14-year-old” (#เด็ก18ฆ่าเด็ก14).The death of Fluck occurred on November 3, at 12.20pm at the young boy’s house in Saen Sook village in the Meung district in the central province of Rayong. Fluck’s family informed Channel 3 reporters that Dome and another teenager visited Fluck’s house to talk outside his home. Fluck refused to go outside and talk to Dome which made him angry so he entered the victim’s home and attacked him, using some broken electric wire to whip Fluck’s head. Fluck’s family tried to separate the two but, in the melee, Fluck fell to the floor and had a seizure. Fluck was sent to hospital immediately for treatment but the teenage boy later died after four days of treatment. The hospital recorded the cause of death as an acute subdural hemorrhage. Dome was arrested after the incident but was later bailed for 20,000 baht. Thai netizens are angry because Dome posted several messages on Facebook showing no remorse, saying that he did not care about the law. He also posted pictures and videos of himself at a party and attending a Loy Krathong event with friends after he was bailed. A voice recording of Dome talking to a friend allegedly admitting that he was a drug dealer and had money was released on Thai social media by an unidentified person.

This CNN article mentions the difficulty in obtaining a ticket but I believe Vinapu does a more concise job in identifying the rationale behind it. New semi-high-speed train makes Laos more accessible than ever The new train travels between the station in Vientiane, pictured, and Boten, near the Chinese border. Phoonsab Thevongsa/Reuters Continues with videos and photos https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/china-laos-semi-high-speed-train/index.html

I walked Sutthisan Winichai Rd. again tonight and looked for Orgasms but found no sign of it. Although I could have missed it, I suspect it’s probably morphed into one of the other shops. These shops seem to experience frequent reincarnations.

I agree. I think that’s why the moderator places the palm of hand (palm out) next to new posters to give us a moment of pause. There have been many new posters who announce themselves with multiple questions (answers that could be obtained with minimal site research) but that’s often the last you hear from them. Few of these result in trip reports or feedback.

If it wasn’t for women, this board would be missing a critical component; posters.

Tarntawan Apartments in process of being gutted. it was managed for many years by Lucas who also managed Tarntawan Hotel and operated Dick’s Cafe on Twilight.

From Bangkok Post Bill Heinecke, the Thai-American chairman of Minor International Pcl that runs more than 500 hotels worldwide, wants Thailand to allow hotels to charge international tourists a surcharge of 300 baht (US$8) per room night to fund the industry’s post-Covid-19 pandemic recovery. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2433012/hotel-tycoon-wants-to-charge-tourists-more-to-fund-recovery

From Coconuts Bangkok Thailand will seek UNESCO status for site of cave rescue saga National parks officials will propose the northern cave where a team of footballers went missing in 2018 be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The cave in Chiang Rai province, where 12 members of the Wild Boars football team and their coach were trapped by floodwaters for 17 days before their rescue, will be nominated for recognition by the U.N. cultural agency as a landmark with historical significance. National parks chief Ratchada Suriyakul said the department has studied the area and authored a decree to help deem it suitable as a possible UNESCO site covering over 12,000 rai (1,920-hectares) across four subdistricts: Wiang Phang Kham, Pong Pha, Pong Ngam and Huai Krai. He said that he hoped it would win UNESCO designation by 2025. Thailand continues to take advantage of the massive world interest in the rescue of the Wild Boars to promote tourism in the impoverished region. After three years of closure, the park reopened in October and sees more than 1,000 daily visitors. A creative agency announced in August that it would spent a billion baht to build a “world-class tourist attraction” where visitors could relive the rescue via a virtual simulation. Not only that, but a handful of movie projects recounting the events have been released including the Ron Howard-directed Thirteen Lives, Netflix’s Thai Cave Rescue (in which Thai officials were directly involved in the project), Cave Rescue (a re-release of 2019’s The Cave featuring Coconuts editor Todd Ruiz), and the National Geographic documentary The Rescue. In 2021, the United Nation’s cultural agency went forward with the controversial decision to bestow heritage status on the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex despite concerns about the longrunning persecution of its ethnic Karen inhabitants. Thailand has six sites recognized for their cultural or natural importance by UNESCO: The Ban Chiang Archaeological Site, Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, the Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries, the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, and Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex.

From Coconuts Bangkok The majority of PayPal users in Thailand will no longer be able to use the service next month unless they jump through a series of byzantine and bureaucratic steps that are only available to citizens. A year after it first warned of the change and several subsequent delays, PayPal notified customers this morning that they will not be able to use the service after Dec. 15 unless they take “certain actions” that, while mystifying and poorly explained, will likely be out of reach to most. To comply with a change in regulations meant to combat money laundering by reining in electronic transfers, the global finance giant will shut off private account holders who are not registered under a government digital identity program. To proceed, users must first enter their Thai national ID numbers – sorry, foreign friends, noncitizens seem out of luck here. PayPal said no other forms of identification will be accepted. “For the time being, a Thai national ID is required to enroll … other forms of identification which do not have a 13-digit Thai national ID number, such as a non-Thai passport, work permit, non-Thai Identification card (pink ID), or Thai Permanent Resident Permit cannot be accepted,” it said.

With the exception of Montien, it’s probably safe to say you won’t experience any problem with joiners in Bangkok. I’d include Airbnb properties as also not having any issues. The Tawana (once Ramada branded about 20 years ago) has been closed since Covid and remains so.

File under TIT. From Thai PBS World Seek to withdraw foreign land ownership The government appears ready to do a U-turn on its plan to allow foreign land ownership in Thailand for residential purposes, following widespread opposition to the policy, Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said today (Monday). Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda is expected to ask the cabinet to withdraw the ministerial edict, approved by the cabinet on October 25th, allowing qualified foreigners to buy 0.16 hectares of land, on the condition that they must invest at least 40 million baht for at least three years. To qualify to own land in Bangkok, Pattaya, other municipalities and other areas specified by law, the foreigners must also be wealthy global citizens, wealthy pensioners, those who want to work from Thailand or highly-skilled. Supattanapong said that the edict is currently pending with the Council of State, to “fine-tune” wording, adding that the foreign landownership plan is just an “option”. If there are still people who feel uncomfortable with this plan, he said that the government, for the time being, will have to withdraw the edict for reconsideration and take time to clarify the matter to the people. He also said that the government will have to explain to foreigners why the plan has to be withdrawn.

K-Man and KK also share with each other.

I’ve found that worrying about how you’re relationship is perceived by others Is wasted time and energy. It’s the relationship that you have with the guy in question is what matters. If both of you are comfortable being seen in each other’s company, what others think shouldn’t be an issue. But if either of you are apprehensive, you’re allowing others to dictate how you feel. I go to any place, eat in any place with the most important person in my life and neither of us gives a thought to what others are thinking. This didn’t happen overnight. But once mutual trust is established, other considerations fade away. The happiness I experience far exceeds anything I’ve known in the past. I’m well into my 70’s. If I don’t experience freedom now, when will I feel entitled.

From Coconuts Bangkok People will witness not just krathongs floating in the water tomorrow, but a blood-red moon in the night sky. A total lunar eclipse is expected to be visible around the world Tuesday, the last such celestial occurrence in which the earth, sun, and moon align until 2025 The eclipse is expected to start around 3pm and be visible in Thailand from 5:44pm to around 9pm, according to the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand. Budding astronomers and casual observers can make a trip to any of the public observatories in Chachoengsao, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Songkhla provinces for a closer look. ===================

From Pattaya News Pattaya law enforcement and immigration have increased patrols on foreigners who may have overstayed in the city and are up to no good, following recent cases of nightclub busts involving foreigners on overstay. Police and immigration officers inspected several nightclubs and gogos on Pattaya Walking Street in South Pattaya at 10 PM on Friday, November 4th, in search of foreign tourists who might have overstayed their visas. The officers randomly asked to look at tourists’IDs and passports to ensure that they were not overstaying. Police also stressed to tourists that it was important to carry an ID with a copy of a passport stamp at all times. Thai nationals were checked to ensure they were over the legal age to go into nightclubs and bars. No tourists had been arrested for overstaying yesterday, according to police.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon Chinese charter-group tours to Thailand remain banned for now because of Beijing’s ongoing anti-covid crackdown. But the Civil Aviation Administration of China notes that scheduled flights between Bangkok and principal Chinese cities have now achieved 70 percent of the frequency prior to the pandemic. Meanwhile, Chinese health bureaucrats are working on plans to soften the country’s “dynamic zero” covid policy. They propose cancelling the unpopular policy of fining airlines which bring infected passengers into the country and also replacing compulsory quarantine for arrivals in hotels or state facilities by unsupervised home isolation. More and more well-to-do Chinese are seeking out Thailand’s latest batch of long residence visas. Sales of Thailand’s Elite cards to Chinese nationals have surged 185 percent, according to a report in the Bangkok Post quoting the chairman of Thailand Privilege Card. There are now 7,350 Chinese members of the program out of a total of around 20,000, far and away the largest single nationality segment. The most popular Elite choice (there are several options) is the 5-year Elite Flexible One program which is specifically designed for investors wishing to purchase property units worth at least 10 million baht (US$320,000) by partnering Thai registered property developers. This Elite card can then be upgraded to a 20 years visa. At the moment, the property purchasing is limited to condominium units. But if Thai law is changed to allow wealthy foreigners to purchase landed property – the matter is currently in the public spotlight – the Flexible One program could be a suitable route. Although Elite cards do not include the granting of a work permit, special decree amendments already made to the alien labor act mean that attending business meetings and acting on behalf of a foreign corporation no longer carry threats of fines, jail and deportation. About half of all condominium units registered in foreign names in Bangkok, Pattaya and other Thai resorts are Chinese owned. At the moment, the property purchasing is limited to condominium units. But if Thai law is changed to allow wealthy foreigners to purchase landed property – the matter is currently in the public spotlight – the Flexible One program could be a suitable route. Although Elite cards do not include the granting of a work permit, special decree amendments already made to the alien labor act mean that attending business meetings and acting on behalf of a foreign corporation no longer carry threats of fines, jail and deportation. About half of all condominium units registered in foreign names in Bangkok, Pattaya and other Thai resorts are Chinese owned. Chinese nationals are also the biggest number of applicants for Thailand’s 10 year LTR (long term residence) visa which was launched on September 1. No recent figures have been released by Thailand’s Board of Investment, but Chinese news agencies claim that Chinese nationals cover 60 percent of the modest 2,500 applications to date. This is likely true as Chinese applications for Cambodia’s competing Second Home Program comprise similar numbers. Although the LTR route offers a digital work permit, which Elite does not, there is a lot of overlap between the schemes. The fact that Elite is cheaper and less bureaucratic, does not require mandatory health insurance and excuses holders from tax on overseas earnings may be deciding factors in the eyes of Chinese investors wanting a regular base outside of the mother country. European expats may snap and snarl at these long stay visas as they grapple with the ever-changing immigration rules for one year renewals. But Thailand isn’t looking in their direction right now.

From Bangkok Post Methamphetamine pills, which cost as much as 300 baht apiece in Thailand just a few years ago, can now be had for as little as two baht each, say police who arrested a drug suspect in Lop Buri. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2430624/speed-pill-prices-plunge-to-b2-each

From The Nation Roads, the subway station and the park near Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) will be closed for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, police said on Friday. The roads will be closed from November 16-19. Closed around the clock will be Ratchadapisek Road (from Asoke Montri to Rama IV intersections) and Duang Phitak Road. Closed from 6pm to 6am will be: – Ploenchit Road (inbound, from Ploenchit Expressway to Ratchaprasong intersections) – Wireless Road (inbound from Ploenchit to Sarasin intersections) – Ratchadamri Road (inbound from Ratchaprasong to Ratchadamri intersections) – Soi Tonson – Soi Ruamrudee The following roads will have one-way traffic only from 6pm to 6am: – Ratchadamri Road, outbound between Ratchadamri and Ratchaprasong intersections – Wireless Road, outbound between Sarasin and Ploenchit intersections – Ploenchit Road, from Ploenchit Expressway to Ratchaprasong intersection Six shuttle buses will be provided to transport people who live or work in the affected areas between November 16 and 19. The MRT’s Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre station will be closed from November 16-19. Benjakitti Park on Ratchadapisek Road will be closed from November 12-19. Bangkok will also be a no-fly zone for drones from November 16-21. Police hotlines at 191 or 1197 are available around the clock.

From Thai PBS World Hundreds of GrabFood and GrabMart riders staged a mass protest today (Thursday), against changes to delivery service rules, issued by their company which, they claim, have resulted in a reduction in their earnings. The riders gathered in front of the Central World shopping mall in Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong area this morning, before proceeding to their company offices on Phetchaburi Road. The riders say that the company has imposed a zoning system, which has forced them to operate within each zone instead of throughout Bangkok. They also complain that they are ordered to take two delivery orders at the same time, instead of one, which has reduced their orders and the fees they can charge. The new rules, say the riders, have restricted their rights and affected their earnings. )

From Richardbarrow.com Fake news saying that long distance trains are now leaving from the new Krung Thep Aphiwat Terminal Station (Bang Sue Grand) is continuing to spread.

Visited this shop today. It’s in Saphan Kwai area on Sutthisan Winichai Rd., a few shop houses beyond the Intramara 27 intersection. There seems to be some association with another shop (15M). It’s similar in layout to nearby KK Spa with rooms on second floor and shower down the hall. Although they have a large photo array the manager will show you on his phone, it was about 7:30p.m. and there were three guys in the shop, of whom I chose a 25-year-old Lao guy (400 one hour oil). Upon leaving I asked manager if he had Line and he sent me a pics of his stable which is considerable. I would not be surprised is a large percentage were also Lao. Here’s a sampling: