Happy New Year! The Immigration Department is enforcing the law. If you have any type of one-year visa, you are required by Thai law to report in person to the Immigration Department every 90 days for an identity and address confirmation. There is no cost. If you forget or miss the 90 day limit, you will probably be fined 2,000 Baht or even expelled from the country. Also, if you move it might be wise to go to the Immigration Department and report your new address. Bring some evidence of your new address, like a receipt or registration document, telephone receipt, etc.
The airlines in Thailand must notify you 24 hours in advance of cancellations or mergers of flights except in emergencies. In case of flight delays, airlines are held responsible for expenses if passengers want to catch a plane at a nearby airport. Passengers are eligible for full refunds if they do not wish to travel. Food or accommodations must be provided if the flights are delayed for more than three hours. The airlines are held responsible for medical expenses of passengers in case of aircraft accidents. The amounts should be paid in full and within 10 days. In case of deaths, the victim’s family is eligible for funeral services of at least 100,000 Baht within 10 days.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has proposed stricter control of the Internet in order to eliminate cyber crimes. The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology will be looking at gambling, sex services and hackers and any others that undermine your security on the Internet.
The Interior Minister is considering ordering nightspots to close between 10pm and 1am. It hasn’t been decided yet. There are too many children getting into nightspots. Also, selling pornographic books and magazines might be outlawed or regulated because children are buying them and experimenting with sex too early which results in unwanted babies and other problems for the children and their families. Selling addictive medicines and substances such as solvents will be outlawed or regulated because some children are inhaling the fumes and hurting their brains. These children are becoming a problem for everyone.
It’s simple. Obey the law. Use common sense.
A 9-year old boy riding his bicycle got into a fender-bender with a taxi. He was injured. The police were trapped between enforcing the law and using common sense and letting the child go home. The police charged them both with reckless driving and traffic violations which means that the case must be considered by the Central Juvenile and Family Court. Correct procedures were applied in handling the case. The mother of the child wants money. The child was in detention for awhile because the authorities had to follow the letter of the law. The bottom line is, obey the law and use common sense.
MTV, the music television channel of Europe has a publicity advertisement that is an attempt to bring attention to the Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her struggles with the Burmese ruling military junta. It was intended to be shown in all 42 channels worldwide, but MTV’s Singapore-based Asian network won’t be taking part, which means that the campaign will not be seen in the network’s eight Asian countries. I guess the idea is not to upset the neighbors because we have to live next to them and do business with them……sort of.
See: stickmanbangkok.com. You might learn something.
Live, love and laugh.
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