Anyone reside in Chaing Mai?

[BonTong]

What's a "Red Box"?

The "Red Box" is a metal box that looks like a typical Thai mailbox, that the police affix to the front of your property. It contains a note book that the passing patrol signs, with the time of visit once or twice a day. Cost typically 500-1000 Bt per month. If you don't have one, the Police will likely visit offering the service. Asked nicely they might even fulfill your leather fetish: TIT afterall.

For me, the value of the service is not so much the Police visits/security themselves, but having a local contact to call when needed (e.g. like the night a gun fight broke out outside the front gate... long true story but a bit off topic, so much for quiet and peaceful Chiang Mai). Over the years, some of the "red box" BIB have become good friends and engaged in the social circle. Always useful in Thailand.

[BonTong]

If you're a property / house owner, you're required by law to fill out some form and report to the government if / when a foreign alien is living within your residence. Not too big of a deal for us, except just need to find a landlord who's willing to forget to submit that form to the government.

I suspect many Thai landlords don't want to know about it. If you are here on a visa it becomes an issue if you have to do 90 day reports or extensions. I know guys who have been fined when doing 90 day reports because the landlord hadn't/wouldn't filed the TM30 - it should be the landlord who gets fined but I guess fining the farang instead is easier .

[Nirish guy]

The "Red Box" is a metal box that looks like a typical Thai mailbox, that the police affix to the front of your property. It contains a note book that the passing patrol signs, with the time of visit once or twice a day.

So perhaps I'm being stupid here but is the quoted intended purpose of the box to reassure the farang that the police are looking after them well - OR - to reassure the Thai government and locals that the police are carefully keeping an eye on those pesky Farang and making sure they're not getting up to anything they shouldn't ( or at least that they're not getting fined or tea money'd for ?) - or maybe it's both ??

But what's the stated aim given when the "service" is sold to you ( I'm assuming from reading the above that it's compulsory ? )

[latintopxxx]

...i would rename it pandora's box

[BonTong]

But what's the stated aim given when the "service" is sold to you ( I'm assuming from reading the above that it's compulsory ? )

Firstly, it's mainly Thai's who have "Red Boxes", so its not really intended to monitor Farangs. The face value benefits are: i) That the Police keep an eye on your property, ii)Sends a message to local robbers and thieves that you are "protected", and to neighbours that you are one of the good guys who support the Police.

As per previous post, in my opinion, it is the less obvious benefits that make it worthwhile.

It is not compulsory, I know plenty of cynical farangs and economical Thai's who've declined the service. Of course, it's usually the same farang who complain about lack of Police response when they get burgled.

[Nirish guy]

AAhhh ok, I get it now, thank you for the answer in reply.

[latintopxxx]

...think I would most definitely get one of those if it means that the cops would be visiting me on a regular basis...with one proviso...they gotta wear those tight uniforms...

[Nirish guy]

Matt, please do tell us why you don't have a Canadian passport any longer. You said, "We don't have ID, except for a Laos passport". ???

I assumed Matt meant from that that whilst he may HAVE his Canadian passport in his possession that being an illegal he can't of course use that in any official way now in Thailand or it would of course simply flag up his existence and presence to the authorities - and to do so when giving them a registered address would of course be an incredibly stupid thing to do if and when the immigration department did their checks ( assuming they do) and came out to give him a free taxi ride to jail or the airport or both the very next morning.

You see Matt this is one of those times that HAVING a big wad of cash rolled up in 1000 baht notes in your safe at home could well be useful as I'm guessing the immigration service don't accept Bitcoin, either for overstay payments or more importantly for bribes !

[Smiles]

Just interested, by why are you leaving the Khon Kaen Story in the first place? Why is November 6th so important?
Is it because of the majestic mountain scenery (a reasonable desire) or are you running away from something or other?

Your lack of holding any form of ID is very weird, much less illegal. It implies that you don't even have a Canadian passport (normally a good ID) much less any form of visa that allows you to stay long term in Thailand ... much less working in Thailand. Not holding one is illegal as well. Tell me if I'm wrong about this.

Knowing that you are possibly illegal on a number of levels, you want some farang to help you out in a much more serious manner than simply letting you stay over for a few days/nights to get settled in . . . but you have a long history of reneging on your invitations by a few members here to meet up for a beer or somewhat in KK. Have you given any thought that you might be putting in jeopardy any help mate you can dig up ... you could be actually 'hiding away', couldn't you?

I skip past the Blind Story in all this angst, but frankly that has always 'sounded' a bit iffy to me as well.

Your Leo Story is fraught with oddities. Just In this thread he's both "an idiot", and then an "amazing individual" a few posts later. Which is it then?

OK ... I get that this is not is none of my business. But in fact you have splashed your tribulations all over this message board for years now -- much less the entire www -- but a lot of it comes across as rather odd indeed.

[bobsaigon2]

No response from Matt to the crucial question about the disappeared Canadian passport, or to the less crucial question of why the more convenient Nong Khai was not chosen. I’m inclined to agree with Arsenal: Very simple Bob. There are more 'stories' to be written from Chiang Mai. Chapter 2 of One Man, Two Dogs and Leo from Laos is coming to a gay forum near you soon.

And what struck me today was that the creator of the whole Matt saga could have been inspired by Tintin, “the Belgian boy reporter (who did not travel alone. From the very beginning to the very end he was accompanied by his dog, Snowy.”) Of course Matt is Canadian, older than Tintin, has two dogs instead of just Snowy, is gay, dabbles in cyber-currency, but still…..

Also in Tintin, we see the precursor of Leo the Lao. Another quote from Wikipedia- “Chang Chong-Chen is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Herg. Although Chang and Tintin only know each other for a short time, they form a deep bond which drives them to tears when they separate or are re-united”. [Not quite hetero if you ask me.]

So, yes, we will be looking forward to further adventures of the duo (+ dogs) once they’re resettled in Chiang Mai. Maybe Matt will be able to devise a way to present his stories to us in comic book form? The Tintin series was quite successful.