Χρήσιμο για Τουρίστες...και άλλους...

[halfway inn]

CRIME

Amlo seeks new powers to seize cash


Anti-Money Laundering Office secretary-general Seehanart Prayoonrat: Current fines for failing to declare money "are too light"

The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) will step up efforts to control the movement of money in and out of Thailand by seizing all cash which travellers fail to declare at the airport.

Travellers could find they lose any cash which they fail to declare in excess of the $20,000 (641,000 baht) limit.

The Amlo secretary-general, Seehanart Prayoonrat, raised the issue recently as Thailand prepares to undergo the next round of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) evaluations for 2015 and 2016.

The FATF is the inter-governmental body that sets standards to fight money laundering and international financial threats.

If Thailand is blacklisted by the FATF, the country will find it hard to make financial transactions with other countries, Pol Col Seehanart said.

The agency will ask the National Legislative Assembly to consider amending the Amlo Act to let Amlo better control the amount of money travellers take in and out of Thailand, Pol Col Seehanart said.

So far, the country has enforced only a customs law demanding travellers inform authorities if they have more than $20,000.

If anyone fails to comply with the law, they can be fined 20,000 baht, and allowed to keep their money.

"The fine is too light," said Pol Col Seehanart.

The FATF and some countries in the European Union view this measure as insufficient and are worried Thailand is prone to money laundering and financing terrorism.

Amlo will ask lawmakers to pass a law allowing the agency to seize money from travellers who fail to declare cash in excess of $20,000, and ask the court to consider turning the seized money over to the national coffers.

A law change giving officials stronger powers against money laundering is among Amlo's priorities after Thailand was put on the FATF watch list in 2012.

The agency found the country had made inadequate progress in combating money laundering.



bangkok post (13-08-2014)

[halfway inn]

THAILAND's TOURIST POLICE

Thailand’s Tourist Police is set to launch its own LINE account



From Tuesday 9th September you'll be able to follow and interact with the Thailand Tourist Police on LINE

BANGKOK: 02 - 09 - 2014

Thailand’s Tourist Police Division is set to launch its own LINE Official Account complete with messages for tourists in English & Thai and its own unique LINE sticker character.

The popular LINE messaging Application has around 480 million users world-wide and 29 million of those are in Thailand (as of statistic in July 2014). 

The Application is one of the most popular ways for people to communicate in Thailand. 
 
The Central Investigation Bureau by Tourist Police Division recognize the importance of this application and has created the Thailand Tourist Police Official LINE Account to assist with better communication between tourist police and tourists to the Kingdom. 
 
It is targeted at both Thais and foreigners and will help provide travel news information and other related useful news information through LINE messages and stickers. 
 
This is an important step in the efforts to promote tourism in the country and support the government’s policy to build tourism confidence.
 
Thailand’s Tourist Police has already set up Call Center 1155 as well as a website and Application for the Tourist Police Division to provide news information, assist tourists, receive complaints and exchange news information between the organization and both Thai and international tourists. 

The Application will further support these endeavors.


Source: Thailand Tourist Police Division

[thailandgr]

The type of account you can open depends upon how long you intend to stay in the Kingdom and your corresponding immigration visa. More information on account requirements is detailed below – you can also visit your nearest branch today to discuss your situation with one of our branch staff.

In Thailand for a short time?

Staying for a longer time?

Even if you are only visiting Thailand for a relatively short period of time, you can open a savings account and get a debit card to use for shopping and ATM withdrawals.
All you will need to provide is your passport and one other official identification document – for example, your driver’s license or a reference letter from your embassy, your home bank or a person acceptable to the bank. (More details below)

You will also need to provide evidence of your address in Thailand as well as your regular address in your home country.
If you have a work permit, are a permanent resident, or hold a long-stay visa, you can apply for a wider range of services such as a cheque account, internet banking and online international funds transfer services.

To find out more, please see below.

Account Types
Documents Required

Savings Account
A savings account can be opened with a minimum deposit of 500Bt.
Interest is calculated daily and will be credited to your account every six months.
Accounts which become dormant with a balance below 2,000Bt will attract a monthly service charge.

When you open a savings account, you can opt to receive a handy Be1st Visa Debit card.
You can use your card to withdraw cash, pay bills, or shop online or anywhere displaying the sign.

The Be1st Visa Debit Smart card is the first debit card in Thailand to use the latest EMV chip technology to keep your cash secure!
This card can be used at Bangkok Bank ATM’s showing the Be1st Smart identification and online or at stores showing the sign.

Current Account
If you are a resident or are working in Thailand, with just a minimum deposit of 10,000Bt you can open a Bangkok Bank current account and be issued with personalized cheques.
A monthly service charge may apply if the average balance is below 1,000Bt.

Fixed Deposit Account
To open a fixed deposit account with a range of deposit terms of up to three years, all you need is a minimum deposit of 2,000Bt.
Please visit our latest deposit interest rates page to compare deposit rates.

Foreign Currency Deposit Account
With a Foreign Currency Deposit (FCD) account, you can hold your funds in any of 14 currencies: USD, CNY, EUR, GBP, JPY, SGD, HKD, AUD, NZD, CHF, CAD, DKK, NOK, and SEK.
This enables you to manage your foreign currency payments and income more effectively by minimizing risks from fluctuations in foreign currencies.

FCD account can be a savings, fixed deposit or current account, needing an initial opening deposit of USD 1,000 or the equivalent.
Please note, the foreign currency deposit account can only be opened at certain branches .
You may also wish to view the Deposit and Withdrawal Fees, or other Conditions and Fees for the FCD account service.

Non-Resident Baht Account
A non-Resident Baht account may be useful if you plan to transfer funds to Thailand for investment purposes and intend to repatriate your funds in the future.
Transactions are recorded in accordance with Bank of Thailand regulations.

Please note, this account is not appropriate for daily use as all transactions are manual and can only be made at the Head Office branch on Silom Road, Bangkok.
http://www.bangkokbank.com/BANGKOKBANK/PERSONALBANKING/SPECIALSERVICES/FOREIGNCUSTOMERS/Pages/Openinganaccountnew.aspx

[kosa]

Εάν δεν είναι  νέα οδηγία   μπορώ να σου πω ότι δεν ισχύει.
 Το προσπάθησα σε 8-9 διαφορετικά υποκαταστήματα  στην  ΒΚΚ  άλλα σε κανένα δεν  μπόρεσα. τόσο  στην Bangkok Bank αλλά και στην Kasikorn. 
Με τουριστική βίζα δεν γινόταν απαιτούσαν άδεια εργασίας η  βίζα συνταξιοδότησης.

[thailandgr]

‘Only ugly people are safe in bikinis here,’ Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha says ‘Only ugly people are safe in bikinis here,’
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha says


 Tourists in bikinis should beware, Thailand’s prime minister said. Source: ThinkStock

THAILAND’S Prime Minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, has sparked outrage with his comments in the wake of the brutal murders of two tourists.

[thailandgr]

‘Only ugly people are safe in bikinis here,’ Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha says ‘Only ugly people are safe in bikinis here,’
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha says

General Prayuth Chan-ocha Offers Apology Over Bikini Comment

Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha today offered an apology

[halfway inn]

TIGHTENED SECURITY FOR TOURISTS

Tightened security for tourists, embassies

BANGKOK: 28-09-2014

Police keeping close watch on elements who might be sympathetic to the Islamic State

Police are tightening security at embassies and certain tourist destinations across the Kingdom to ensure safety for tourists, particularly those from countries involved in the current air strikes against the Islamic State (IS).

Deputy national police chief Pol General Somyot Pumpunmuang, who is also acting as the national police chief, said yesterday that he had ordered increased security for foreign missions as well as hotels and restaurants among the places frequented by foreign tourists.

Somyot said the Special Branch Police have also been assigned to gather intelligence from hotels, restaurants and possible symbolic venues that could be targeted by extremists who support the ideology of the IS.

A US-led coalition began a campaign of air strikes against the IS from Iraq to Syria last week, after the group seized control of parts of both countries and killed two US journalists and a British aid worker.

Besides the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain have joined the US-led forces in trying to crush the IS jihadists.

Somyot's order to beef up security covers airlines, consuls, churches and important religious sites as well.

Police will work closely with staff and employees as well as officials of these establishments, Somyot said.

Important diplomatic venues, said Somyot, will be closely guarded and police will work with security officers at all these embassies in order to prevent or thwart any possible attack.

Checkpoints will also be set up at various spots in order to screen suspicious vehicles, particularly at night.

"There will be police patrol at various spots as well as foot patrol to ensure safety at important tourist spots where there're many foreign tourists, in order to increase confidence in safety measures among foreign tourists.

Investigators will be sent to seek intelligence at hotels, residences, restaurants and venues about people who exhibit behavior that shows a tendency for violence, related to or support the ideology of the IS," said Somyot.

Somyot said the police commander in each province will be responsible for coordinating the security measures by inviting related agencies, which includes immigration police, railway police and tourist police to work together.

The acting police chief added that proactive measures will be introduced and this includes ensuring the readiness and operational ability of bomb-defusing squads to ensure the quickest response to any such situation.

The US-led strikes also targeted oil-refining facilities in Syria controlled by IS extremists to hit the radical Sunni group's revenue source.

The latest round of air strikes follows an opening offensive in Syria last week that struck an IS finance centre, as part of a bid to undermine the extremist group's funding.

[Oytopikos]

BANGKOK, 10 October 2014: Visits to Ko Surin and Similan marine national parks will be more expensive for international tourists, following a decision by Thailand’s national parks to raise the entrance fee to THB500 per day from the current THB400 fee.

The two national parks, both popular dive destinations for visitors to Phuket, are just two of 31 parks under Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation that will increase entrance fees effective 1 February next year.

Three national parks raise the entrance fee for foreigners to THB500, while the others range from THB200 to THB300 representing increases of THB100 to 200 for adults.

inside no 1No explanation was given why certain parks will be more expensive to visit, although in the past the parks department claimed price was being used to control visits to maintain a manageable carrying capacity.

Critics would argue it was simply a financial decision. Parks popular with tourists can generate higher revenue.

Nine national parks will increase the entrance fee from THB100 to THB 200 for foreign adults and fromTHB50 to THB100 for children at nine national parks.

Thais will continue to pay the same entrance fee of THB10 (children) and THB20 (adults).

The nine parks are: Thap Lan National Park in Prachin Buri; Ta Phraya National Park in Sakaew; Khao Lak–Lam Ru National Park in Phang Nga; Mu Ko Phetra National Park in Satun; Kaeng Tana National Park in Ubon Ratchathani; Phu Sa Dok Bua National Park in Yasothorn; Phu Pha Thoep National Park in Mukdahan; Phu Phan National Park in Sakon Nakhon; and Phu Lanka National Park in Nakhon Phanom.

Three national parks — Pa Hin Ngam National Park in Chaiyaphum; Ramkamheng National Park in Sukhothai and Mae Moei National Park in Tak– will increase fees for both Thais and foreigners.

Fees for Thais will increase from THB10 to TB20 for children and THB20 to THB40 for adults. Fees for foreigners will increase from THB50 to THB100 for children and from THB100 to THB200 for adults.

Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi will increase the fee for Thais from THB20 to THB40 for children and from THB40 to THB100 for adults. Fees foreigners, fee will increase from THB100 to THB200 for children and from THB200 to THB300 for adults.

Three national parks in Kanchanaburi — Sri Nakarin Dam National Park; Sai Yok National Park; and Erawan National Park – will increase fees.

For Thais, they increase from THB20 to THB50 for children and from THB40 to THB100 for adults. Fees for foreigners will increase from THB100 to THB200 for children and from THB200 to THB300 for adults.

Khao Sok National Park and Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park in Surat Thani will increase fee for foreigners from THB100 to THB150 children and from THB200 to THB300 for adults. Fees for Thais remain the same at THB20 for children and THB40 for adults.

Mu Koh Surin National Park and Mu Koh Similan National Park in Krabi will increase local fees from THB40 to THB50 for children and from THB80 to THB100 for adults. Fees for foreigners will increase from THB200 to THB300 for children and from THB400 to THB500 for adults.

Than Bok Khorani National Park in Krabi and Ao Phang Nga National Park in Phang Nga will increase fee for Thais from THB20 to THB30 for children and from THB40 to THB60 for adults. Fees for foreign children remain the same at THB100, but for adults the price increases from THB200 to THB300.

Fees for Phu Chong–Na Yoi National Park and Pha Taem National Park in Ubon Ratchathani including Khao Phra Wihan National Park in Si Saket will also increase for foreigners from THB100 to THB200 for children and from THB200 to THB400 for adults. Thais will continue to payTHB20 for children and THB40 for adults.

Thung Salaeng Luang National Park in Phitsanulok will increase entrance fees for foreigners from THB200 to THB300 for children and from THB400 to THB500 for adults. Fees will remain at current rate for Thai children and adults at THB20 and THB40.

Fees at Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park in Phitsanulok will rise from THB100 to THB300 for foreign children and from THB200 to THB500 for adults. Thais will pay the same rate; THB20 for children and THB40 for adults.

Namtok Chat Trakan National Park in Phitsanulok will increase fees foreign adults from THB200 to THB300, while children will pay the same rate; THB100. Fees for Thais will remain unchanged at THB20 for children and THB40 for adults.

Fees for Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park and Huay Nam Dang National Park in Chiang Mai will increase to THB150 for foreign children and THB300 for adults up from the current rate of THB100 and THB200. Fee for Thai adults will increase from THB40 to THB50, while children will pay the same rate of THB20.

Doi Inthanon National Park in Chiang Mai will fees for Thai visitors from THB10 to THB20 for children and from THB20 to THB50 for adults. Foreigners will pay THB150 (children) and THB300 (adults), up from THB100 and THB200 respectively.

http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2014/10/national-parks-up-entrance-fees/

[bestathens1972]

Επειδή συχνά γίνεται το συγκεκριμένο "λάθος". Όταν μιλάμε για τα εθνικά πάρκα, η τιμή εισόδου δεν αφορά Ταϊλανδούς και ξένους! Αφορά "Thai residents" και "Non Thai residents". Επομένως αν κάποιος "διαμένει" στην Ταϊλάνδη, έχοντας "non immigrant" visa, δικαιούται και πρέπει να απαιτεί την τιμή που ισχύει για κάτοικο Ταϊλάνδης. Σε ιδιωτικές  επιχειρήσεις συνήθως "επικαλούνται" το ό,τι η διπλή τιμολόγηση δεν υπάγεται στο καθεστώς του Δημοσίου και αν δεν είστε Ταϊλανδός πληρώνετε το ακριβό αντίτιμο. Αν έχετε όρεξη για μανούρα κλπ πάντως και εκεί, τελικά, θα δικαιωθείτε!

[Oytopikos]

Επειδή συχνά γίνεται το συγκεκριμένο "λάθος". Όταν μιλάμε για τα εθνικά πάρκα, η τιμή εισόδου δεν αφορά Ταϊλανδούς και ξένους! Αφορά "Thai residents" και "Non Thai residents". Επομένως αν κάποιος "διαμένει" στην Ταϊλάνδη, έχοντας "non immigrant" visa, δικαιούται και πρέπει να απαιτεί την τιμή που ισχύει για κάτοικο Ταϊλάνδης. Σε ιδιωτικές  επιχειρήσεις συνήθως "επικαλούνται" το ό,τι η διπλή τιμολόγηση δεν υπάγεται στο καθεστώς του Δημοσίου και αν δεν είστε Ταϊλανδός πληρώνετε το ακριβό αντίτιμο. Αν έχετε όρεξη για μανούρα κλπ πάντως και εκεί, τελικά, θα δικαιωθείτε!

Eπίσης πολλές φορές δέχονται και το ταϊλανδικό διπλωμα οδήγησης ... και σπανιότερα (αλλά το έχω καταφέρει στο Μπουριραμ) ταϊλανδικό βιβλιάριο καταθέσεων.

[bestathens1972]

Και φυσικά above all... Work Permit. Το πιο δυνατό χαρτί, μετά τα χιλιόμπατα, στην Ταϊλάνδη!

[walailak]

Εμένα πάντως με έχει σώσει το πιο σημαντικό proof of residence το yellow book!!!!!!

[thailandgr]

 Bangkok's Khaosan Road is the not the kind of place you want to take your kids. The strip of neon-lit bars and nightclubs, budget hostels, and 24-hour Burger Kings is what happens when generations of tourists remake a street in their own image; it's nickname is the “center of the backpacker universe.” Young Westerners flock to Khaosan to drink from plastic buckets of alcohol, inhale greasy piles of 2 AM pad thai, and deck themselves out in elephant-print pants, all to the beat of the pop music that blasts from every available speaker.

Despite Khaosan’s party-hard, R-rated feel, a troupe of children—some as young as five—can be seen trailing the tourists as they move from one watering hole to the next. The Khaosan kids show up when the party starts and stay until the bars close. They're here to sell roses, yet contrary to what most tourists assume, they aren’t from Thailand and the money they make doesn’t go to their families. Most of the rose-sellers are Burmese and have been “purchased” from their parents by brokers promising to send home money every month.

More often than not, the checks never arrive and the kids never come home. Vittanatpat Rattanawarepong, who runs the Stop Child Begging campaign for the Mirror Foundation in Bangkok, believes at least 500 children are selling roses to tourists in Thailand as a result of this type of trafficking.

For those behind the rose-selling business, Khaosan Road is a gold mine: Every night brings a new flood of foreigners with cash to burn, many of whom have never been to Asia or encountered the complications of child begging before.



 “It’s fun for us, and it’s money for them,” said Katpin, a 20-something German tourist, when asked why he bought a rose. “It’s a win-win situation,” his friend Moritz added.

The youngest of the rose-selling children stumble around Khaosan, weaving through the drunk and drugged-out dancers. Untrained in the arts of street marketing, they bring in meager amounts of cash from tourists who are moved by their innocent and desperate gazes.

The older children, many of whom speak basic English, have developed more complicated schemes. They make jokes, challenge tourists to hand games, and goad men into buying flowers for their dates. But their smiles are practiced, fading as soon as the sale is made.

While some tourists buy the roses thoughtlessly, others genuinely believe that their purchase is helping the children’s lives. Few know that in reality, their money is precisely what’s keeping them enslaved.

“We had to sell every day,” said Nyi Nyi, one of the Burmese rose sellers. “When we couldn’t sell out the flowers, we were violently beaten.”

"A Balloon Under Water"

According to Sanga Ruangwattanaku, the president of a nightclub on Khaosan, the police are fully aware of the rose-selling children’s situations.

“They are not paid off, but they collect fees,” Sanga said with a smile.

Police raids on Khaosan Road and similar areas are generally about filling quotas or positive PR. The most recent raid on Khaosan took place in June, a day before the US State Department was set to release its annual Trafficking in Persons Report. Anticipating the report, and possible sanctions, Thailand’s military rulers ordered authorities to prove they were serious about cracking down on traffickers.

Forced to act, police picked up seven Burmese rose sellers and a suspected “boss” who is still awaiting trial in jail. It failed to make an impression on the report writers.

According to the report, “local and national-level police officers established protective relationships with traffickers in trafficking hot-spot regions to which they were assigned.” Thai officials also “colluded with traffickers; used information from victim interviews to weaken cases; and engaged in commercial sex acts with child trafficking victims.”

Saw Sai Nawng Hkio, who works with the humanitarian organization World Vision in Thailand, says combating trafficking is like trying to keep a balloon under water.

“When trafficking happens in this spot and we take action in this area, it always comes back and pops up in another spot.”

It doesn’t matter how many children are picked up in raids. Traffickers will always be able to find news ones to replace them. In the two most recent raids, in 2008 and 2014, police only arrested the children’s caretakers in Bangkok. The network of brokers who struck deals with parents and transported the children to Bangkok—the entire trafficking infrastructure—was left untouched.

The Long Road Home

After less than a month in Bangkok, Ko Ko escaped. He ran away with two other children and through the help of one child’s uncle, was able to reconnect with his mother in Mae Sot. Nyi Nyi on the other hand, sold roses for more than year before he was rescued by police.

Although his boss, Mi Cho, was arrested, her husband—who beat Nyi Nyi if he didn’t sell enough roses—was never charged. He regularly visits Mi Cho in jail where she is serving six years for human trafficking.

After the raid, Nyi Nyi was placed in a state shelter in Bangkok. According to social workers, he was lucky to be rescued; only a couple of the rose-selling children are every year. Yet even those “fortunate” children face a long road home. It takes the collaboration of dozens of state agencies and NGOs to rehabilitate the kids, locate and evaluate their parents, and sort through legal matters.

But there’s a heartbreaking twist: The shelter is often the nicest and most nurturing place these children have ever lived in. There are three meals a day, classes, and games. They get to be children again.

Nyi Nyi was reunited with his family after spending more than a year at the shelter. Back in Mae Sot, they live in a cramped, shoddily constructed shack stilted over a pond of sewage. The two brothers have returned to providing for the family. Ko Ko collects recyclable bottles from the dump and Nyi Nyi helps clean up a nearby market, earning less than a dollar a day.

Asked how it feels to be home, Nyi Nyi said, “I want to go back [to the shelter]. I was happy there.”

[halfway inn]

SAFETY DURING LOY KRATONG FESTIVAL

General Prayuth Orders Stricter Safety During Loy Kratong Festival



BANGKOK

Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha has called on relevant agencies to step up surveillance to ensure safety ahead of Loy Kratong Festival.

In a televised speech to the public, PM Prayuth said that he had instructed the Ministry of Interior, the Royal Thai Police, the Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, as well as local administrative bodies to keep patrolling spots where Loy Kratong celebrations will be held.

Since the celebration is performed near rivers, safety and rescue operation is a prime concern.

The premier called on agencies in charge to inspect all piers, and to check rescue equipment prior to the festival.

To make sure that the security and safety measures implemented will be effective, General Prayuth has ordered inspections of fireworks factories and shops, threatening to impose tough penalties on those failing to abide by the regulations stated in the permits.

Entertainment venues found to allowed minors to enter or operate later than usual will be held responsible if anything goes wrong.

PM Prayuth also suggested that parents have a role in watching over their children and that loss preventive campaigns should become a habit so that the country can spend the money on the country’s development instead.

[thailandgr]

ATM to temporarily close Nov 14 for testing




BANGKOK, 14 Nov 2014 (NNT) – All automatic teller machines will temporarily stop servicing between midnight of November 14 to early next day due to the system testing.

The Bank of Thailand reported that commercial bank customers would be unable to withdraw cash through ATMs of different banks other than that specified in their ATM cards, or make any transaction between domestic banks and foreign counterparts from the midnight of November 14 until 2 a.m. of November 15.

The central bank explained National ITMX Co. Ltd., provider of the inter-bank payment system, needed to stop teller and transaction systems between local banks and foreign ones for a short period in order to transfer the current ATM system to the new center.

The company will first examine the ATM system’s connectivity during 10 p.m. to midnight on November 14. The central bank confirmed the public could use ATMs as usual during that period, as the operation would not affect the services.

If a problem occurs while the testing is in process, the company and member banks will immediately switch to the old system to ensure normal services.