Thaimo

In Thailand the banks all close on 1 July every year. It is a bank holiday, not a national holiday. Everything except for banks will be open, although it may be a little difficult to get change in many places. ATMs will be functioning. The mini-branches, usually located in shopping centers, will be open and can conduct most banking activities. However, since main branch offices will be closed, expect a long waiting time at mini-branches.

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I have one with a reusable filter too, but I still prefer using a coffee filter with it. But my problem is solved. I have a friend coming in from the USA in a few weeks. He's going to bring what I'm looking for. I have enough left to last until then. I will have a look at Friendship next time I am in the area. If nothing else, I am curious as to where I saw them. I'm certain I saw them somewhere, but like anything else, when you want something, that's when you can't find it.

Dear Pattaya, Phuket, Udon, and Khon Kaen Area American Citizens, The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok is pleased to inform you of a consular outreach visit to Pattaya, Phuket, Udon, and Khon Kaen in June 2010. Please come if you can! Consular staff will be available to provide services at the following dates and locations: PATTAYA: Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Dusit Thani Pattaya, at 240/2 Pattaya Beach Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi, 20150, Thailand. Telephone: 03-842-5611. PHUKET: Monday, June 14, 2010, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa, at 333 Patah Road, Karon Beach, Phuket, Thailand, 83100, telephone: 076-396-433. UDON: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Centara Hotel & Convention Centre Udon Thani, at 277/1 Prajaksillapakhom Road, Muang, Udon Thani, 41000, Thailand. Telephone: 04-234-3555. KHON KAEN: Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Pullman Khon Kaen Raja Orchid, at 9/9 Prachasumran Road, Nai Muang, Muang, Khon Kaen, Thailand, 40000, telephone: 043-322-155. The following consular services will be available during our outreach visits: * Passport renewal applications ($75.00 or Baht 2475 for adult passports, and $85 or Baht 2805 for a child’s passport). * Notarial Services and Certified Copies ($30.00 or Baht 990). This includes income affidavits for retirees in Thailand. * Extra visa pages. Note: we can accept applications, but the passports will have to be brought back to the Embassy for final processing the next day. The passports will then have to be picked up in person (or by a friend upon presentation of a letter of authorization signed by the applicant) at the Embassy. * Social security, VA, or other federal benefits question will be limited, but we will try to provide forms and answers. (Please bring exact change!) Consular Reports of Birth cannot be processed during consular outreach trips. If you have any questions, please email acsbkk@state.gov or call the American Citizen Services Unit at 02-205-4049. We look forward to seeing you. Sincerely, American Citizen Services U.S. Embassy Bangkok, Thailand

Some of the embassies in Thailand are now lifting their travel warnings about Thailand. Thailand is now a safe travel destination, but many medical insurance companies will not pay if something happens while you are traveling in a country in which travel warnings are in effect. For that reason you might want to check with your embassy prior to traveling to Thailand.

I'll try those. Thank you. I know I've seen them somewhere. If I find them I'll post where I found them - if for no other reason, I'll probably forget where I bought them by the time I run out of them and will be able to refer to this thread to remember! If you or anyone else spots them before I post, please post where. I should also say I do know of a Japanese brand, but they are sold at 40 filters per packet for about 60 baht. So, that will have to do if I can't find what I'm looking for, but that's not what I want because I've seen them sold in large stacks . . . somewhere.

Does anyone happen to know where I can buy Mr. Coffee style filters? I don't care about the brand name, only the type. I know I've seen them, but now that I need them I can't find any. I've tried Makro, Big-C, and Lotus, but none of them have any.

Korean war 'may break out at any moment': North Korea Korean war 'may break out' * Published: 3/06/2010 at 11:52 PM * Online news: Breakingnews A North Korean diplomat said Thursday that tensions on the Korean peninsula were running so high over the sinking of a South Korean warship that "war may break out at any moment." In a speech to the international Conference on Disarmament, Ri Jang-Gon, deputy permanent representative for North Korea at the United Nations in Geneva, blamed the "grave situation" on South Korea and the United States. "The present situation of the Korean peninsula is so grave that a war may break out at any moment," he said.

That is correct if one is applying for the visa outside of Thailand. However if you carefully read what was posted, it is quite clear that this listing was for applying for the retirement visa within Thailand. If in fact he did mean applying from another country, then a police report is among the required documentation. There is no mention of a police report in his documents list. I'm sorry, but that site is portraying itself as providing legal information. There are people who are going to rely on that information. It at least needs to be accurate and reliable. All if it.

I think you need to check some of what is on your forum for accuracy. For example, in the retirement visa section I saw, in the required documents area, "Medical Certificate..." A medical certificate for a retirement visa has not been a requirement for years. The only circumstance under which a medical is required is when applying for a Thai driving license. If you intend to provide legal advice about Thailand, it is your responsibility to confirm that your advice is valid. Do you have someone on your web site who is a licensed Thai attorney? If not, then what are you doing providing legal advice about Thailand, especially inaccurate advice? If you do have a licensed Thai attorney, you need to prominently post a copy of his credentials.

No, but I plan to visit the area once the red shirt problems come to an end.

What I'm reading is certainly questionable. I still think a Thai attorney ought to be consulted. Why would you need to be in Thailand to do that? What's wrong with having her go to see an attorney herself? It seems the worst that can happen would be she would have to get appropriate visas to remain in Thailand just like every other foreigner. If nothing else, an attorney could at least advise her as to which kind of visa would be best for her depending on what types she can qualify for. The best advice I can offer would be to encourage you to have her consult a Thai attorney well versed in Thai immigration law.

That's a new one. I have never encountered something like that. It smacks of a guess by that particular immigration officer without him having anything beyond his own opinion to back that up. He should have called in a superior officer when confronted with an unusual circumstance. I think the best thing for you to do is to go to another immigration office and talk with someone at a higher level than the officer at the airport. If you are told the same thing the airport officer said, then I would insist on seeing something in writing that shows a procedure like that is backed by law. You might also want to consult a Thai attorney competent with Thai immigration law first. My opinion, and it is only my opinion, is the immigration officer was wrong. Whether she holds dual citizenship or not, I have never heard of a circumstance in which someone who holds Thai citizenship ends up having to obtain visas to stay in Thailand, especially since Thailand is her native country. Once you find out, I would appreciate it if you would let us know.

In Thailand's city of Pattaya, the curfew has already been lifted. In Bangkok and other provinces the curfew will continue through Monday night and the possibility of extensions is still on the table. Curfew Extended to Monday for Bangkok, 23 Provinces The Centre for Resolution of Emergency Situation extended curfew for Bangkok and 23 other provinces to Monday, prohibiting people from leaving home from 11 pm to 4 am. Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd, the CRES spokesman, said the curfew period was shortened to minimize the impact on the people who have to travel. Earlier, the CRES imposed curfew from 9 pm to 5 am. The CRES will review on Tuesday whether to extend the curfew, he said. Curfew extended to Monday for Bangkok, 23 provinces

NEWSFLASH – PATTAYA CURFEW CANCELLED 21st May 2010 At 7pm on Friday Night we received information that the curfew has officially been lifted here in Pattaya. This follows a meeting held at Pattaya City Hall earlier on Friday where a number of business owners pleaded to the Pattaya Mayor to get the curfew lifted which they felt was uneccesary as there was no intelligence suggesting that any riots or other disturbances would take place here in Pattaya. Upon consultation with Police Leutenant General Asawin, the Region 2 Police Commander, the curfew in Pattaya was lifted, although it remains in force in other areas around Chonburi Province which remains under a State of Emergency. Whether, at this late hour, staff can be recalled to ensure that shops and entertainment venues can be opened on Friday Night is yet to be seen. We will provide more details on this important development o

That is an excellent point. I have been thinking about that. Along with the physical damage and the damage to Thailand's reputation and tourism industry, there will also be thousands of people who have lost their jobs and sources of income. I think there will be an enormous number of people who cannot pay their rent, pay for food, pay their bills, or anything else. I don't think Thailand has anything similar to unemployment insurance and I think these people are going to be thrown to the wolves and left to fend for themselves. Even if the Thai government does something to help them, I doubt it will amount to anything other than too little, too late. Maybe a certain billionaire who is responsible for starting much of this will personally support them until they can get back on their feet, but I wouldn't bet the rice farm on it.

Something to bear in mind is when countries issue travel warnings, when people do travel anyway to countries that fall under such warnings, medical insurance companies usually do not have to pay if something happens to you. If you are planning travel to Thailand, you might want to check that with your insurance carrier.

Parts of the structure now have collapsed.

EMERGENCY AMERICAN CITIZEN SERVICES - NEW TEMPORARY LOCATION The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok has set up a temporary location to provide emergency and very limited routine Consular Services to U.S. Citizens. If you do not need your service right now, please wait until we reopen our Embassy facilities. You must bring your original documents (when available). If at all possible, please bring a photo copy of each of those documents as well. Many of the forms are available on-line. Please print out and complete your forms. Bring the completed forms with you. This will help us serve more people. Beginning at 8:00am Wednesday, May 19, 2010, the services listed below will be available until further notice. Newly issued Passports and Consular Report of Birth Abroad will not be available for pick up until the following work day. WHERE: WESTIN GRAND SUKHUMVIT, BANGKOK 259 SUKHUMVIT ROAD (corner of Soi 19) BTS: Asok, MRT: Suhkumvit (note: neither the BTS nor MRT is currently running) 02-207-8000 HOURS: 08:00 - 12:00 Monday - Friday SERVICES: PASSPORTS - EMERGENCY and REGULAR CONSULAR REPORT OF BIRTH ABROAD (CRBA) BY APPOINTMENT ONLY* NOTARIALS (AFFIDAVITS, INCOME AFFIDAVITS, etc) PICK UP OF COMPLETED PASSPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS LISTED ABOVE DROP-OFF OF DOCUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF AN APPLICATION PAYMENT: CASH ONLY - U.S. DOLLARS OR THAI BAHT NO CREDIT CARDS, CHECKS OR TRAVELLERS CHECKS WILL BE ACCEPTED * Those who have appointments will be given priority and seen on the day of their appointment. Those with appointments on Friday May, 15; Monday May 17; and Tuesday, May 18 will be given priority in the order of their original appointment. Please bring a print-out or other proof of your appointment with you. * Appointments must be made on the Embassy website, Embassy of the United States Bangkok, Thailand - Home * Appointments cannot be made by phone. * Those without appointments will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis. We will do our best to accommodate those without appointments if we have time between appointments, but we cannot guarantee that services will be available to those without appointments. *CRBA APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: Applicants for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad will only be seen with appointments; there will be no walk-in CRBA interviews. Please come prepared with valid documentation; a detailed list is available on-line. Failure to provide complete documentation may significantly delay the procession of your application. IF YOU ARE APPLYING FOR AN EMERGENCY PASSPORT PLEASE BRING: * 2 passport photos with white background * Police Report * Proof of Citizenship (if available) * Proof of identity * Fee - $100.00 (one hundred U.S. dollars) FOR COMPLETE DETAILS OF REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION, SERVICES, AND FEES PLEASE CONSULT THE EMBASSY WEBSITE Embassy of the United States Bangkok, Thailand - Home

You must enter Thailand on a non-immigrant visa or change from a tourist visa to a non-immigrant visa after you find employment. You must have a work permit to be able to work in Thailand. Your employer will help you secure the work permit.

You don't even get a copy of the policy? How do you know what is and is not covered? What do you do or who do you call in case of an accident?

It would be helpful if you tell us from which company you buy your motorcycle insurance and how much it costs.

Germany "urgently" advises against travel to Bangkok By Deutsche Presse Agentur Berlin - The German foreign ministry expressed "great concern" at the violent clashes in the Thai capital Bangkok on Friday, and "urgently" advised against travel to the city. The German embassy had scaled back its work to a bare minimum but remained open - unlike some other embassies - a foreign ministry spokesman said. The ministry had warned last month about the tense situation in the Thai capital, where an anti-government protest camp has come under siege from thousands of Thai soldiers. The latest warning did not include Bangkok airport, which remained safe for transit passengers, the ministry spokesman said. One demonstrator was killed in Friday's clashes, in the heart of Bangkok's posh commercial district.

British Embassy Bangkok: Closed to the public 14 May 2010 The British Embassy in Bangkok is closed to the public, due to its proximity to demonstrations in the capital. The Embassy has a team which will assess developments in order to continue to provide the most accurate and up-to-date advice possible to British nationals in Thailand and British visitors. The Consular Section is closed. If you require urgent consular assistance, please call 02305 8333 (in Thailand only) The Visa Application Centre at Regent's House is closed. Please do not come to the Visa Application Centre until further notice. Customers should keep monitoring the Visa Application Centre website for updates. The Embassy's visa section is also closed. As a result, customers may experience delays in the processing of their visa application. Alternative arrangements are now in place for Thai residents who need to travel urgently to lodge visa applications in other locations, please visit the Visa Application Centre website for details. Trade and Investment services are suspended. The situation will be reviewed day by day so please continue to monitor this website for up to date information on the Embassy's disposition. We also strongly recommend that you monitor our travel advice for further information and updates on the current situation in Bangkok. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Due to the violence between the Thai military and the Red Shirt protesters, and the proximity to the embassy, the US embassy has announced they are now closed until further notice. The embassy further announced that American Citizens Services will be available to handle emergencies, but only emergencies until the area is deemed safe. There is no way to predict how soon normal services will open again. Of course we will make sure a message is posted here once full service is reestablished. I have not received word of any other embassies closing. At this time, as far as I know all other embassies are open. If there are any changes, I will post here as soon as I become aware.