Weird visit -- Census?

[chopsticks]

It the police do regular patrols and there's hardly any crime then I suppose they can justify such restrictions. Looks better too

[poosmate]

When I first came to Hua Hin I used a Farrang taxi driver from Chaam. He told me that he had to have see through panels in his boundary wall to allow the police to be able to see in. Thought it strange at the time ( 9 years ago) but looking at this thread maybe there was some truth in it?

[margaretcarnes]

I've never seen the official census forms in Thailand but would have thought they would be headed with the Garuda crest if genuine? Other Government documents are - still no guarantee of course.

If they follow roughly the same format as the UK census occupants names WOULD be required - also occupations. It's the questions about electrical appliances make me suspicious, but lets hope it's genuine and they are being sensible and trying to gather info on electricity useage as well!

[margaretcarnes]

When I first came to Hua Hin I used a Farrang taxi driver from Chaam. He told me that he had to have see through panels in his boundary wall to allow the police to be able to see in. Thought it strange at the time ( 9 years ago) but looking at this thread maybe there was some truth in it?

I'm afraid that was probably more for the benefit of the police than the occupant.

[dotx]

I've never seen the official census forms in Thailand but would have thought they would be headed with the Garuda crest if genuine? Other Government documents are - still no guarantee of course.

If they follow roughly the same format as the UK census occupants names WOULD be required - also occupations. It's the questions about electrical appliances make me suspicious, but lets hope it's genuine and they are being sensible and trying to gather info on electricity useage as well!

There was a crest on the forms, but I didn't pay much attention to how it looked or what it said (if anything).

The questions on the form I thought were really weird included (all multiple choice): what type of toilet you have (flush, squat, outdoors), how many bedrooms, how many rooms that are not bedrooms are being used as bedrooms (that was the exact phrasing too), electronics, whether you had cable or internet, how you got electricity (from city, generator, no electricity), if you had AC, where you lived before living in this house and this city/province and whether your stove was electric or gas. I'm guessing the census is trying to figure out how people live, how many have access to basic things, etc. I still maintain that asking whether I have a TV, DVD player and computer is too intrusive, though.

[chopsticks]

Some of the questions are probably a round-about way of determining which income group you are in rather than asking the question directly which could be viewed as intrusive or having other motives.

Flushing toilets and air-cons are indicators but a satellite dish and TV doesn't mean much anymore as you see them on many run-down looking shacks.

[T.I.G.R.]

I hate to disagree with you HH, but being a lifetime resident of California and frequent visitor to Florida I never heard of anything like this.

Not to say it isn't possible with homeowners associations or community based CC&Rs but we wouldn't want everyone to think America is that weird......or would we?

[hhfarang]

T.I.G.R., did you ever see any high walls around homes like they have here other than in places like Beverly Hills or other millionaires neighborhoods... If so I'd like to know where they were and see photos if possible. I never saw it in any state (and I've been to 48 out of 50). As I said, it is a city by city zoning ordinance but in my experience, most cities do not allow them (I've owned homes only in 4 cities, and states in the U.S.).

I searched and read some of the ordinances online and besides police or emergency workers being able to view and approach the abode, the other reason frequently stated was driving visibility at corners (actually, that one makes sense).

[PeteC]

I think a lot has been grandfathered in to modern ordinances. My original stomping ground back East; Philadelphia, New York, Boston you'll find many mansions with walls in elite neighborhoods, but the houses themselves date back to the early 20th century or older. Pete

[Procyon]

I would not be comfortable answering questions about the number of valuable electrical items in the house, leave those blank.

[T.I.G.R.]

H.H. -

I can't say I've seen a lot of them, but we had a couple of houses in our gated golf community that had entry walls and courtyards....actually most of the ones I remember have been in gated communities or for estate type housing as you indicated. The only restriction I've ever heard of, and maybe this is where you're coming from, is there is usually a height limit on fences of six feet or so. At least in California that's the only restriction I know of, and that was for fencing on the sides and back of your property so you wouldn't have neighbors getting their view blocked......from inside their property looking out, not looking in.

I've built three houses, all in California, and two were in gated communities with pretty restrictive CC&R's. In no case were there any restrictions placed on fencing heights......although I dare say if you were to put up a high wall that blocked your neighbor's views you certainly would have a problem getting it approved.

[dahobbit]

Most American communities do not allow high walls. In Alameda, California I couldn't have a fence more than waist high and the required setbacks rendered my yard larger than my house.

South of the Rio Grande, I believe it's considered mandatory.

[sandman67]

I told them to piss off.... worked fine for me.

Filling forms in here with you house contents....are you all f ing mad?

This is the land where 1000bht buys me your last three bank statements....and you are filling forms in with your house contents?

[Khundon1975]

If the question on number and type of appliances was to determine power usage, it seems like a typical (ass about face) Thai way of gathering info.

Why don't they just approach the power supply companies, they have the exact data.

The "high perimeter wall" thing, is a double edged sword. Once inside the wall, a would be nere do well can't be seen by anyone from the street and could, in theory, spend much more time and effort getting into the property.
For a high perimeter wall to work, it would need to be topped with razor wire, lights etc. Who wants to live like that?

Our neighbor on Neabkehardt Rd, (an American) started to construct a high boundary wall right down to the sea wall, but after a visit from the palace officials who told him in no uncertain terms, that he would have to amend his plans and keep some of it at 1.5 meters high. He also could not build a house or any structure within 22 Meters of the sea wall.
I think there is a local ordinance for properties near the Palace on the seafront but we had already built a structure in our garden 10 meters from the sea wall and got away with it, much to his chagrin.

Give me a low wall and a good alarm system any day, then I can see and hear the bastards coming.