Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Thailand	US citizenship vrs. land ownership in Thailand	I brought up dual citizenship, but the group seemed to think becoming a USC would disqualify her from ownership. Like you say things change all the time. Interesting choice they need to make though.   Out of curiosity what are the advantages of becoming a USC that might make a person consider risking her land?  I assume her current status is permanent resident non USC?  Can that status be maintained indefinitely? If I was them, I wouldn't worry about becoming a USC.  How would the Thai govt. even know?  Just enter and leave Thailand on the Thai passport, and there's really no way for them to know if someone becomes a USC.   Personally I think the biggest benefit of becoming a USC is the passport.  There's the social security thing as well.  As far as remaining a permanent resident, that's no problem at all.  Many people live their whole life renewing 10 year green cards with no issues.   India is a country, where becoming a USC can be bad news.  You have to file some kind of paperwork after you become a U.S. citizen, and then you're considered OCI (Overseas Citizen of India)  They restrict you from buying farmland and some other stuff.  I think you lose the right to vote there as well.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-09-05 20:59:00
Thailand	US citizenship vrs. land ownership in Thailand	ETA:  Dig around on Thaivisa.com and see what the latest is.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-09-05 20:47:00
Thailand	US citizenship vrs. land ownership in Thailand	Had dinner with a few Thai couples the other night. One couple is coming up on the time for Citizenship.  The group consensus was that it would be a bad idea for her to become a USC because she owns a substantial amount of Rai in Thailand. If she became a USC, she would have to give up the land.   Any experiences with this? This land thing seems to change on a regular basis.  There's been talk on and off, for at least the last 10 years that I'm aware of, about if a Thai marries a foreigner that the Thai will have to prove that the money used to buy the land didn't come from the foreign spouse.  That seems to change every 6 months.  There was even talk a couple years ago about them taking the land if they could prove that the foreigner's money was used to purchase it, but I haven't heard anything about that proposal recently.  It was just some politician trying to stir up nationalism.    As far as your friend, just because she becomes U.S. citizen doesn't meant a thing as it stands now.  She's still Thai.  It's perfectly fine to have dual U.S./Thai citizenship at this point in time and it will not affect any existing land ownership.   That said, the rules change like the wind there.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-09-05 20:43:00
Thailand	Hangover from Hell: Hundreds of Westerners Living on the Streets of Thailand	Left penniless by Thai girlfriends, or wrestling with drinking or substance abuse problems, many have nowhere else to go By Charlie Campbell Sept. 13, 20133 Comments   A Thai charity has revealed that a growing number of Westerners ? around 200 at present ? are sleeping rough on the streets of the Southeast Asian nation, in areas from Chiang Mai to Phuket, many doing so as a result of alcoholism, drug use or having spent all their money on local women. ?We are starting to see more and more homeless foreigners, many of whom have separated from their Thai wives and now have no money,? said Natee Saravari, secretary-general of the Issarachon Foundation. ?They walk or sit in shopping malls during the daytime and scavenge through garbage for food at night.? The disclosure has to be put in the context of homelessness in Thailand in general. An estimated 30,000 homeless Thai nationals share the same streets, as well as an indeterminate number of Lao, Burmese and Cambodians. However, the conspicuousness of homeless Westerners ? an extraordinary sight to Thais who generally presume that Western residents are relatively affluent ? makes them an eye-catching subject for local media. One man who is unsurprised by these developments is Paul Garrigan. The 44-year-old Irishman spent five years ?drinking himself to death? in Thailand before quitting in 2006 and has since written a book about his experiences. ?Some people come to Thailand and they already have a drink or drug problem but they have it under control in their own country,? he tells TIME, ?but then the restrictions have gone and that addiction can blossom.? (PHOTOS: Boxing Out of Poverty and Prison in Thailand) In addition, romantic complications, typically with ?bar girls,? can prove wretchedly pivotal. On Aug. 25, the Bangkok Post published an interview with a 61-year-old American living on the streets of Pattaya, a seaside town with an infamous sex industry just south of Bangkok. Originally from North Carolina, Sylvester fell for a local bar girl in 2009 and spent all his savings buying a car and a truck in her name. Two years later, she left him penniless. ?On the beach, I have friends who are homeless Thais,? he said. ?We share food, cigarettes and some alcoholic drinks.? A wealth of books has been written about the folly of tangling with bar girls but pitiful stories abound. ?It?s the inability of the foreign guy to separate the truth from what they are being told,? says Rhys Bonney, a legal advisor based in the northern city of Chiang Mai, who is currently dealing with several clients in a similar situation to Sylvester. Foreigners seeking a little companionship become easy prey, Bonney says. Unfamiliar with Thai bureaucracy, they get pressured into buying cars in their girlfriend?s name. ?The reality is that there?s no difficulty to do it in their own [name],? he explains. Next they buy a house in her name with the proviso that they will share everything equally, but no legal documents are signed to that effect. ?And when they?ve paid the money the girlfriend can just kick them out,? Bonney adds. (PHOTOS: Thailand?s Drug Scourge: Photographs by James Nachtwey) Once that happens, the absence of any social safety net means escaping the streets can be very problematic. ?If I was homeless in Thailand, I would probably still be on the streets,? adds Garrigan. Some help is available, however. The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok ?is definitely one of the busier posts out there? says spokesman Walter Braunohler, who, while unable to provide precise figures, tells TIME repatriation requests from destitute Americans is ?more than a trickle.? Sending somebody home costs around $2,000, the majority spent on airfare but also on temporary lodging, meals, medical treatment and immigration fines. Friends and family back home are sounded out for a loan, but should none be forthcoming the government will stump up the cost to be repaid upon return. Other embassies work on a similar basis. Ultimately though, while the sight of homeless Westerners is saddening, it must be remembered that far greater ills exist on Thailand?s mean streets. Alezandra Russell runs the charity Urban Light, which helps young male sex workers in Northern Thailand, many of them illegal immigrants fleeing Burma?s bloody civil conflicts. ?You will not find in any report the teen boy who sleeps in the flower market and is approached by a pimp every night,? she says, ?or the boy who works in the red light district from a hill-tribe village and speaks only his native language.? One person living without a home is a travesty, but at least Westerners in Thailand can be counted. For many of Thailand?s most vulnerable, says Russell, ?There are no numbers.?   Source: http://world.time.co...ts-of-thailand/	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-09-13 21:16:00
Thailand	Good Thai Commercial		Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-09-18 18:51:00
Thailand	Studying in the US: Ambassador Kristie Kenney is hosting a special webminar about U.S. education	Interested in studying in the U.S.? Ambassador Kristie Kenney is hosting a special webminar about U.S. education. Hear from Embassy staff and Thai students with experience in the U.S. on Friday October 4 2013 at 7am. To register for the event, please visit http://www.state.gov...tact/213173.htm before September 27, 2013.   Thanks!  My niece is finishing M3 and getting ready for M4.  I had her sign up for this.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-09-25 06:56:00
Thailand	let the waiting begin....	Do you have her birth certificate, I'm glad you brought that up.  This is very important.  Not so much for the interview in Thailand, but for the adjustment of status after arrival in the U.S.  The U.S. embassy in Bangkok will accept many things as proof of birth.  However, USCIS is more strict when it comes to this.  I've seen many Thai cases here on VJ where getting the visa was easy, but after arriving in the U.S. and trying to adjust status, USCIS would not accept the documentation that was used for the visa for proving birth when adjusting status.  Then it was a nightmare trying to get a birth certificate 9000 miles away.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-09-29 21:36:00
Thailand	let the waiting begin....	I like to think of him as a member that passed the bar but it probably wasn't the one you are thinking of.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-09-29 20:56:00
Thailand	let the waiting begin....	thank you kmiami,slowyman and ning, might be wishful thinking but we hope we hear something before I return to Thailand Jan.16.   CSC is running at about 80 days between NOA1 and NOA2, so you might have NOA2 by Jan. 16.   http://www.visajourn...nt/k1historical	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-09-29 15:39:00
Thailand	Anybody have problems with your family excepting your new foreign spouse?	Why are you snooping on my SIP?   Too much copy pasting going on.  But, yes I was snooping on someones SIP.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-10-04 14:55:00
Thailand	Anybody have problems with your family excepting your new foreign spouse?	Hiya Kev !  Please update yer timeline, nowish?   Thanks so much, and Thanks in Advance ! What's wrong with his timeline?  tcpdump -i any -s0 port 5060 -w test.cap http://www.visajourn...le.php?id=34014	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-09-24 16:33:00
Thailand	Anybody have problems with your family excepting your new foreign spouse?	I am at the age where I don't really care.     That's my attitude as well.  Life's too short to worry about other people's issues.  If they come around fine.  If they don't, oh well.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-09-18 20:32:00
Thailand	Anybody have problems with your family excepting your new foreign spouse?	slowlyman - do you still live with your parents? yes? no ?   if yes - invite about 20 thai women over for a cooking weekend/bacchanalia ... He lives in northern Wisconsin.  There's probably not 20 Thai people in a 200 hundred mile radius.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-09-18 18:58:00
Thailand	Anybody have problems with your family excepting your new foreign spouse?	I am also sure you must know in Thailand many people feel as his family does about our people marrying farangs. It didn't happen in my family but there were or are Thais that believed my husband would sell me or our daughter for example. Its all based in ignorance of course.   Alot of people in Thailand were trying to convince my wife I was gonna sell her when she got here.  Still waiting for a decent offer.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-09-18 18:54:00
Thailand	Anybody have problems with your family excepting your new foreign spouse?	I'm not getting the warm fuzzies from my family (siblings & parents) with regard to my pending marriage. I have to admit I was caught off guard my that. I "assumed" they would be happy for me regardless who I decided to marry.  Not true.   Oh well.  What can you do?	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-09-15 16:09:00
Thailand	let the waiting begin...update....	Too late for Karee. My therapist says I will be ok in time. Karee is self medicating as far as I know. I am sure we all hope to see this keep going at this pace. There have been cases that exceeded the norm and this may just be one.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-10-05 21:23:00
Thailand	let the waiting begin...update....	21 days slow....I about fainted   Wow 21days.  That is super fast.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-10-05 20:07:00
Thailand	let the waiting begin...update....	came home from work at 6 00pm, had a letter from homeland security,i figured damn,the RFE`s came quick. It`s I-797,I-129-F approved,10-1,valid to  1-31 2004. Stunned does not remotely describe how we feel.Songsang has a A# ,what is strange to me is the I-797 states..."the above petition has been approved and forwarded to the listed consulate"...no mention of NVC. Please ,youre thoughts...we figured we had time to work on next steps after an approval,now it seems it is possible to have interview while I am in Thailand(I leave jan.16. They forward it to the consulate through NVC.  K visa cases generally only stay at NVC for a few days, maybe a week.  There have been some rare cases where it gets stuck at NVC in administrative process for 4-6 weeks, but I haven't seen one of those in awhile.  You'll be getting a letter from NVC soon with the BNK case number notifying you that the case was sent to Bangkok.  Probably within the next week.   As far as being there for the interview, that's your call.  They wont even let you in the embassy for the interview, so no real point in being there.  As far as getting the visa by Jan. 16th, that's definitely reasonable.  The only thing that could delay that is all the holidays between now and then.  Just make sure you have everything ready to go on the Thai side.  Go ahead and download the packet 3 and 4 instructions as well as the forms from the U.S. embassy website here:   http://bangkok.usemb...as/packets.html   Good luck!	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-10-05 19:43:00
Thailand	Converting Rai to Acres	What is the formula for converting Rai to Acres?   http://www.convertun...rom/rai/to/acre	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-10-10 18:02:00
Thailand	American returning to the U.S.A. with nothing..?	Funny you say that, I've thought a few times as well. We used to do beach runs to get away from the family and would stay in Jom Tiem which is not much better. Then years ago discovered Hua Hin which is about the same drive from wife's village. I love that place and nice beaches which Pattaya definitely does not have.  Take a walk on the beach after 10:00 pm.  It's like something out of a horror movie or transsexuals gone wrong.  Can't figure out which.  At least that's how it was back in 05.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-10-11 13:39:00
Thailand	American returning to the U.S.A. with nothing..?	I figure there is only one reason to stay in Patts. There is a whole lot of Thailand out there if you want to build a serious relationship. The pendulum swings both ways. He most likely wants to stay in Patts for the same reason she does. The cash flow is just in opposite directions.   Anybody who meets a girl in Patts and then stays in Patts with her is either naive, or just turning a blind eye to the reality of the relationship. I have a hard time feeling sorry for these guys.   As far as the sub culture goes. Spend time at any Hi-So dinner. Check out the rich old farts with the young eye candy never more then an arms reach away. I'm sure she loves him for his maturity. I can't think of too many places I've been worse than Pattaya.  I absolutely hate that place.  They need to launch an airstrike from U-Tapao and level that city.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-10-10 21:34:00
Thailand	American returning to the U.S.A. with nothing..?	Happens in the US too.   Sure it does.  Although I don't think I've seen an entire sub-culture here where the goal is to separate foreigners from as much money as they can, as quickly as possible.  Granted nobody is putting a gun to these guys heads.  I actually fault the foreigner more than I do the Thai woman.  Of course these are mostly bar girls running these scams.   It reminds of that story.  A scorpion asks a frog to ride across a river on the on the frogs back.  The frog says no way, you'll sting me.  The scorpion says no I wont.  The frog agrees, and half way across the river the scorpion starts singing the hell out of the frog.  The frog says, "why did you do that?  Now we'll both drown."  The Scorpion says, "I can't help it.  It's my nature.  I'm a Scorpion"	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-10-10 06:51:00
Thailand	American returning to the U.S.A. with nothing..?	I ran across this one on Thaivisa today:   Greetings from....yes...Pattaya....Two ladies scammed me, lesson learned. Putting a house in her name isn't exactly smart but it's only money.   Intelligent questions for any Americans out there who have returned to the U.S.A. beaten men.   If you only have a Thai drivers liscense, your USA one having expired and unable to renew same online combined with no address in the U.S.A, can you rent a car at  major airports? without a credit card? Valid passport and some cash, just no "home" address cause "I ain't got no home". Example: Arrive at LAX and rent a mini-van or camper?   Where do you get the free health care advertised for those with no income?   Can you qualify for food stamps and/or welfare(cash) and housing if you have no income history? If yes, where and what sort of time laspe is involved?   To make a long story short, she had a Thai boyfriend the entire time we were together and admitted it when I caught or shall we say stumbled upon them in a short time motel over across 3rd road. At least it was a quick and easy parting of ways and money. It was the motorcycle I'd bought her for her birthday parked behind the curtain which for some reason made matters seem very sad and realistic at the same time.     Source: http://www.thaivisa....a-with-nothing/ Edited by Karee, 08 October 2013 - 06:47 PM.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-10-08 18:44:00
Thailand	Can't download N400	Karee, are you able to fill in the fields using the plug-in or just view the form? Yes, I can fill in the fields with IE Tab.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-10-06 17:30:00
Thailand	Can't download N400	Same thing going on with Chrome.   IE is broken for me now, need to sort that...   I don't have IE either, but I use IE tab.  It's what I used to look at the form and it worked.  It's a plugin for other browsers you can use so they will look like IE to websites.    http://lmgtfy.com/?q=IE+Tab	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-10-06 17:03:00
Thailand	Can't download N400	I can't download form N400.   Anybody else?   I can d/l the instructions and checklist fine. I have updated adobe 3 times and per their link.   Here's what I get; Please wait... If this message is not eventually replaced by the proper contents of the document, your PDF viewer may not be able to display this type of document. You can upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Reader for Windows®, Mac, or Linux® by visiting http://www.adobe.com.../readstep2.html. For more assistance with Adobe Reader visit http://www.adobe.com/support/products/ acrreader.html.     I got the same thing using Firefox, but when I switched to IE it opened fine.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-10-06 16:24:00
Thailand	Visa fee K1/K2	I called NVC this morning and was given our case number for our K1/K2 visa.  I was wondering if I am able to pay the visa fee's now or do I have to wait for NVC to send to the Bangkok embassy?  I plan on mailing my fiance the all of the completed forms and documents this weekend.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks....   Since you are a K visa, you don't do anything with NVC.  They just assign a case number and send everything to the embassy in Bangkok.  You'll pay the visa in Bangkok.  I believe it will need to paid at a Thai post office there.  Not sure.  Someone else will come along and answer that.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-10-18 12:36:00
Thailand	Fiancee wants to go to work ASAP. Whats first?	And thank you Mr. Frog, I appreciate your further help. Of course if anyone else has some further hints, I would like like that . Mike   Make sure you file I-485 (AoS), I-131(AP), and I-765 (EAD) all at the same time.  That way you only have to pay the fee for the I-485.  If you file them separately, you have to pay 3 fees.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-10-28 15:48:00
Thailand	The Truth	In case you don't know the answer, here's a clue:   http://www.visajourn...379768-stunned/	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-11-03 06:03:00
Thailand	The Truth	If so they should be looking into why there were none during the protests of 2010. You know the answer to that.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-11-03 05:18:00
Thailand	The Truth		Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-11-02 16:59:00
Thailand	Photo Essay: Homeless foreigners living down and out in Pattaya	living down and out in Pattaya By Camille GazeauNovember 6, 2013 / 11:57 ICT White sands, radiant sun and warm seas. These are the pictorial associations most of the world holds of Thailand. However the prostitution, organized crime and unreliable justice run in a deep, close parallel. The conflux of these things draws many male foreigners to Pattaya, Thailand?s Sin City, from retirees to sexpats. With enough time, behavior that would be unacceptable in their homes can seem a strange kind of norm here. The less savory aspects of their character unbounded by social convention. While most visit Pattaya as a vacation escape, others go a step further and make it their home, perhaps hoping to nurse the dream indefinitely. That doesn?t always work out so well. Some, like Steven and Tony, have ended up homeless and alone, cut off from any relationships with family or friends back home. They don't have the money to pay overstay fines if they actually wanted to leave, and live off their own wits and the kindness of others. Here in their own words are their stories, as told to Coconuts Bangkok.   Steve, 59, from England I?m 59. I?ll be turning 60 in March. I?m from Manchester, where I used to be a post driver. I have been homeless in Thailand for two years already. Last September it has been one year that I am illegal here. Pattaya is Disneyland for old men I have so much to say about it! My friends tell me to write a book. I don?t know if I?ll do it someday, but I already have a title: The Bright Side and the Dark Side of an Englishman Living on the Beach ? Surviving the Hard Way. Before living in Thailand I came eight times over seven years for holidays. I heard about Pattaya from a friend, and it sounded just like a big Disneyland for old men. It was the perfect place for me, as I am a big spender, a sexaholic and an alcoholic. In the beginning, I felt like a movie star. I could get all the women I wanted for just 600 baht each. Once I had sex with 34 women in 21 days. Every go-go bar knew me. I have been married twice, and I?m still married. It has been 33 years, but I haven?t heard from my wife in three years. She?s a good lady, I screwed up everything for sex. The first time I went to Thailand I just lied to her, telling her I was going there to buy furniture. It was half true actually. In England I always behaved well. I would go out with friends for one hour, and that?s it. But here? Here you go out all day long. So the eighth time I went to Thailand, I decided to stay longer. I was going back and forth to Cambodia to get a visa exemption. At that time it was for 30 days. I always extended my stays in Pattaya, I always wanted a bit more of what I was enjoying. This is when I met this lady. We were pretty serious. I fell in love, after nine stays in Thailand I should know better, but I let myself go. We had a good situation and started a small business. But my employees became lazier each day, doing nothing and stealing from me. Slowly, slowly money became a big issue, and for weeks I was surviving with only tea, coffee and tomato soup. Then I ended up in the streets. I never beg When I arrived on the beach, everyone stole from me. The police even threw my bags away. I didn?t have any food for 12 days. I was 94 kilos before but after two years in the streets I just weight 65. But I am a strong man my own way. Now I?m pretty popular here on Jomtien beach. They even call me ?the beach boy from Manchester.? I have many friends, they take care of me, they like my personality. I never beg, but when I need it they give me money. Once I was arrested, and I needed 5000 baht to pay the bail, and my friends gave it to me. So I survive because I?m me. The embassy doesn?t care The first seven months on the beach, I was going to the British consulate every day, Monday to Friday. But they don?t care. They just tell you to ask for help from your family, and if you don?t have a family from your friends. I was so depressed I went to a bar, got drunk enough and smashed my head with a bottle of whiskey then I tried to cut my wrists. I never thought I would end up in the streets like this. I have my pride. They saw me on TV because of a documentary about homeless farangs, and suddenly they remembered me. But now I don?t want their help anymore. It?s too late. My head?s already gone. They offered to pay my fight back to England and to help me find a job. But what will I do there ? I have nothing in England. No family, no friends, no money. I have a 41-year-old daughter, Tracy, from my first wife, and a 32-year-old son, Christopher, from my second wife, but I don?t talk to them anymore. I also stopped talking to my friends in England. They wouldn?t even send me 10 pounds when I was starving. At least here, I have the sun and the beach. I?m ready for death now My days are boring and depressing. I just sit on the beach, drink beers and smoke cigarettes. I tried to quit alcohol and went to the Alcoholic Anonymous, but it?s not for me, not in this situation. I?m always scared. It?s dangerous here. I only stay in Jomtien. I?m a gentleman, that?s why I survive. I?m proud to say I?m still normal even after two years in the streets. Also I have eye infection and leg infection because of sleeping on the sand, but I can?t complain about my situation because I?m an overstayer. But I?m tired, I don?t want to go back to England because they let me down, and I can?t keep on living like this forever. I?m ready for death now. Tony, 44, from the Netherlands I have been homeless for three years. In Holland I used to be an engineer. I put all my money here in Thailand. My first time in Thailand was 20 years ago. I just came for holidays, but then I got stuck into it. Alcohol, sex. But I met my wife here. So it wasn?t all bad. I used to be quite wealthy. I have two factories and lands. I have my own property that still exists. I was very high, and I hit the bottom. My wife kicked me out after 13 years. I have two children, 10- and 8-years-old. I always have their photographs with me. I had the wrong friends, I guess. And the wrong life, too much bars and ladies. She got fed up. I created my own street business to survive Now I have my own business in the street. I help people, mainly tourists. A lot of them get robbed, or they have troubles with ladyboys. I help them get their money back, or their passport. I have connections with the police. So then I get commission from helping them out. I?m quite known here, by hotels, tuk-tuks, and so on. I make money in Pattaya, and I go to Jomtien to relax. The church helps me Hopefully I have a valid visa. I get a lot of help and support from the church. Faith is very important in my life. They?ve been taking care of me for a long time. They give me guidance and support. They push me. Also this association is helping me to see my kids. Step by step. I went to Bangkok three weeks ago to meet them after almost three years without seeing them. I don?t ask for help from my family because they don?t know about how my life is. I have my pride. And my parents are old; I don?t want to worry them. My brother knows my situation though, but he?s not very helpful. Now my family is the church. The consulate doesn?t help either. They tell you ?call your family,? and if family doesn?t answer they say ?call your friends.?   I?m a survivor I adapted to street life quite well. But I don?t want to get used to it. It?s a hard life, I don?t live; I survive. The most difficult thing is to find a decent place to sleep. I sleep everywhere I can, most of the time in empty buildings. I never stay in the same place; it?s too dangerous. Food is not a problem because Thai people are very generous. They help me a lot. I always have to watch out for thieves, especially Thai mafia. They?re really not happy with my business. That?s why I always change places, so they can?t find me. I live a dangerous life. I have many friends, but I also have a lot of enemies. The tattoo on my face is to scare them. Like in the USA, people who have killed tattoo a tear. It means I don?t run away. I got stabbed several times, even hit in the head. I run for my life. That?s why I never sit. I?m scared, but it?s a good thing. Being scared gets your head back together. I?m an optimistic person because I?m still alive even though I had to face very dangerous situations. Once I got a gun on my head. I?m a survivor.   I have to get back on my feet now Now I?m trying to get back to my old life. I want my wife to take me back, I hope in four months everything will be fixed and that I will get my properties back. It?s a hard thing to do because of corruption. But I?m working on it. And I still love Thailand.   Post a Comment Go Coconuts! Join the Conversation Connect!   Source: http://bangkok.cocon...and-out-pattaya	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-11-07 05:00:00
Thailand	Yingluck pleads with protesters to stop	Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra went on TV on Thursday to issue an urgent plea to all groups of demonstrators to stop their protests, saying the government has already aborted the amnesty effort. She also promised that her government would do nothing that would pressure His Majesty the King. Yingluck said the House of Representatives had voted Thursday afternoon to remove all the pending amnesty and reconciliation bills from the House agenda. "All sides have made clear their intention to halt the amnesty process," she said. She said the people should not believe rumours and should use their judgement to consider information from all sides so that the country can move forward. She also said the government would not use force against the protesters and would not use troops to control the situation. Her government would use only the police to keep law and order. She asked the protesters to believe that the government would not break its promise, adding that they should go home as the country has already suffered a lot. It was Yingluck's third urgent statement this week. He first statement was made Tuesday and the second one on Wednesday. She made the announcement Thursday after holding a meeting with security agencies at the Government House. Source: http://www.nationmul...com - Politics)	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-11-07 07:32:00
Thailand	Tearful PM calls for forgiving	Yeah.  It is all about him.  Always will be.  What I do not understand is he is a very rich person and not some average Thai person that could not afford the best lawyers money can buy.  If he was as free as he thinks he is why is not back in Thailand fighting for his rights?   Do they talk about this on thaivisa a lot? Yeah it's a huge subject on Thaivisa.   He's not back in Thailand because there's a 2 year jail sentence waiting for him.  All appeals have been exhausted for that one.  Also, he has about 5 or 6 more cases working their way through the courts, so he'll more than likely be looking at more time.  I bet if he did actually ever serve his time, it would be a joke.  Probably some special prison that would be more like a resort.  The best thing for Thailand is for him to stay gone and never come back.  He's already done enough to #### up the country.  I actually feel sorry for his sister.  I can't believe he drug her into all this.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-11-08 04:16:00
Thailand	Tearful PM calls for forgiving	The Nation November 4, 2013 3:29 pm With tears in her eyes, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra Monday called on all sides in the political conflicts to forgive and forget and have compassion toward one another. Yingluck made the call when members of 24 families, whose relatives were killed during the red-shirt crackdowns in 2010, met her at the Government House. The group expressed support for the amnesty bill, saying relatives of the slain red-shirt protesters agreed that the amnesty would be he best way-out for the country so that it could move forward. Yingluck thanked the group of relatives with tears in her eyes. "I would like to thank you all for making sacrifices so that the country could move on," Yingluck said. Commenting on mounting protests against the amnesty bill, Yingluck said she would like to call on all sides to have sympathy for others and forgive their opponents as well as having compassion for others. "We must lend our hands in helping the country. The first thing that must be done is to forgive one another so that everything could move forward," Yingluck said. "If the government does nothing, the country will slip back to the same circle of violence," she added referring to the amnesty bill. She said the government had to keep order during the protests and she believed the demonstrations would be peaceful. She added she had instructed police to be patience and abide by the law and avoid clashes with the protesters   Source: http://www.nationmul...g-30218693.html   Give me a break!  All they had to do was leave her brother out of the amnesty and everything would've been fine.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-11-04 06:36:00
Thailand	Thailand must overcome its obsession with Thaksin Shinawatra	So is this kind of an un-official country like Ossetta & Taiwan that has its own govt. but mot recognized as such by NATO? China still hangs on to Taiwan as one of the stans holds on to Ossetta while Ossetta wants to be with Moscow  & Taiwan wants China to Buzz off. Thailand has been it's own country for 100s of years.  As a matter of fact, it's the only SE Asian nation that has never been colonized by a western nation.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-11-10 22:07:00
Thailand	impatient	In K and immigrant visa petitions approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in Bangkok, applicants should download the visa packages from this web page. Receipt of an I-797 Notice of Approval from USCIS does not indicate that the case is pending with the U.S. Embassy. The downloadable documents below are provided solely for those who have cases pending with the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok. Please do not send any of the documents below to the Embassy unless instructed to do so. Source: http://bangkok.usemb...as/packets.html	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-04-09 21:35:00
Thailand	impatient	Hello all, Sorry, we are waiting for our lives to be normal at last. The embassy received the file almost a month ago but still no pk3 for Danita. From other's profiles it seems to only take about 2 weeks. We are both so ready for this uuuhhhh! sorry for the venting. Why are you waiting for packet 3? I thought the new process is to go to their website and download it. Maybe someone else can confirm.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-04-09 21:30:00
Thailand	From NOA 2 thru NVC to BKK- help	Thank you,Karee.  I was freaking out reading about all the people on this site calling 20 x per day to NVC.    I learned a lot today. I will get my packet 3 stuff ready and launch at the first moment.   Gotta get my wonderful woman here for the Great Oregon Summer.   Those people calling NVC all the time are IR-1/CR-1 visa folks.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-05-01 21:39:00
Thailand	From NOA 2 thru NVC to BKK- help	Is there anything I am supposed to do or can do to expedite from NOA 2 to Packet 3?   I know I can start working on the packet 3 items.   I am wondering specifically about calling NVC for case # etc etc.    Thx   Since you are K-1, there is nothing for you to do at NVC.  Your K-1 petition just makes a quick stop there on the way to the Bangkok Embassy.  No expedite required.	Karee	Male	Thailand	2013-05-01 19:43:00