Immigration question
The new Jomtien immigration system is certainly an improvement, especially as those just registering their address (90 days, TM30) no longer have to go inside the main building. The adjoining photocopy and visa center seems to have moved too and now shares accommodation with the Thai restaurant, producing a crowded atmosphere most of the time. Looks like the solution is to move the restaurant lower down (to where the photocopy shop used to be). The restaurant owners aren’t too keen on that I understand.
Fewer zombies this year
Halloween was a bit of a monster flop this year in the usual downtown areas. You could certainly find Frankenstein monsters and the like if you were determined, but they hardly knocked you down so to speak. Halloween was late arriving in Pattaya and Thailand generally and seems linked to the explosion in European and western visitors 20 or 15 years ago. Now that there are fewer bad boys in town, maybe the signal is out: Russians and Chinese don’t celebrate with zombies.
What happened to the tourist police?
I’m told they are still functioning and keep onside their groups of volunteers both Thais and foreigners. But on two recent visits to Walking Street, I haven’t seen any sign of them or their minibus parked near the entrance. Most of the cops hanging around now are marked as Special Affairs which seems a posh way of describing Thai volunteers from City Hall. Walking Street these days is a much paler version of its former self. A cleaner image, fewer gogo bars, a shortage of Europeans to be sure. I was bored by 10 pm and left for Sexy Soi Six.
Taxing expats’ foreign income
There was a useful summary of what to expect at the Pattaya City Expat Club on October 1. Expats whose income comprises pensions and social security etc already taxed in the home country are not the target here. However, the managing director of a leading accountancy company in Bangkok thinks that all expats (living more than six months a year in Thailand) may eventually have to get a Thai tax identification number and complete a form for the Thai Revenue. The bureaucracy could be linked to the application procedures for one year visas or longer. Best though to wait for official news which could take many months yet. Unless they forget the whole thing as regards expats.
Fish and chips place
Pattaya must be promoting fish and chips meals more heavily than any city in the UK. Sharples, of course, has led the media charge and successfully used social media to get the message out for its two branches in Pattaya and Jomtien, with a third option being readied near Mabprachan. I tried Atlantic cod and chips with the extras on two occasions at the Jomtien branch. No complaints – they are good though you can argue what traditional batter should taste like. The thing that surprised me is that I dined alone in a large restaurant on both occasions. Maybe they get busier after 7 pm.
The latest scam
Be on your guard for phone calls reminding you that your annual renewal of insurance (property mostly) is due. The only problem is you don’t have that type of insurance with the named company. So the anonymous caller then suggests you might consider taking out a new policy with all the advantages they offer on subjects like fire, floods and fire. It’s best to steer clear of businesses which market themselves in this way.
