Xircal

This article might be useful to you: http://www.retire-asia.com/thaibiz.shtml

Proposed changes to the Foreign Business Act 2014 are off the cards at least according the the UK Foreign Office: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thailand-foreign-business-act/thailand-foreign-business-act

I've been paying the 180 Baht fee since October 2013 as can be seen from the ATM withdrawal slip, so you've been pretty lucky if you've been able to avoid it all this time.

Google Translate does a pretty good job of translating Thai to English in case you get stuck again: https://translate.google.com/

They got his name wrong according to the photo ID here: https://th-th.facebook.com/js100/posts/859214334102135

Not that it makes much difference now....

The other day on the BBC news they were interviewing people in Russia on the street about the effect the free falling rouble was having, and one women said she had cancelled her Thailand vacation.

For anyone who booked and paid for a Thai holiday earlier in the year but hasn't taken it yet, the current FX rate is catastrophic.

Looking at FX rates from the beginning of the year to the present day, the Ruble has lost more than 50% of its value already with no sign of it stabilising anytime soon: http://www.freecurrencyrates.com/exchange-rate-history/RUB-THB/2014

The above link shows FX rates of 0.5865 Satang up to December 12, but this morning Bangkok Bank is advertising only 40 Satang for a single Ruble: http://bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/WebServices/Rates/Pages/FX_Rates.aspx

It's going to be a nasty shock for anyone who doesn't check the FX rate before embarking on their holiday.

This might help: http://gold.yabz.com/index.htm

Here's the link to the calculator: http://gold.yabz.com/jewelry.htm

Sunglasses are subject to 60% Import Duty plus the usual 7% VAT so you're only likely to find them in Jungceylon or some other upmarket location.

(Can't see the attachment except if I go to the Edit option) ?

I say quite right to a couple of the posts above. Furthermore, I don't buy the 15% figure. I believe it's much higher, and the characters in charge know it.

It is higher, but not by much: Travel & Tourism Total Contribution to GDP

Microsoft logs the usual IP address webmail originates from. So if your emails are usually sent from Thailand, but you attempt to use the account to send one from Laos for example, then that will generate a warning.

The warning will contain the IP address the attempt to login was sent from so you can check that here: http://whatismyipaddress.com/ip-lookup

I reckon the £ will head in that direction too if Farage manages to pull a rabbit out of the hat come 7 May next year.

Here's an example of how you might come unstuck: Land purchase through Thai spouse forbidden: Land Department

On the subject of leases, this article is also worth a read: Your lease could be buried with you

Keys, particularly house keys, don't just "break off in the lock" without giving some warning like the lock getting stiff.

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you there. I've noticed in the past that in Thailand at least, the quality of the metal used to create house keys is way too soft with the part inserted into the lock breaking off suddenly when turned leaving that section irretrievably stuck inside the lock.

It happened to me once when I came back to an apartment I'd rented and discovered that the keycard wouldn't work. I subsequently inserted the key only to have that snap off when I turned it.

Thank you for your reply. Still the same AVG comes up with virus found html/framer www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js

The official Google Analytics site is http://www.google.com/analytics/ not google-analytics .com so the latter is likely to be malicious.

Dutch banks like ING charge 0,1% with a €6 minimum and €50 maximum provided you transfer in Euros and choose SHA for the beneficiary cost.

It should tell you on your own bank's site what their charges are.

For charges made by Thai banks, see here for an example: Bangkok Bank: Receive An Overseas Bank Transfer

Under certain circumstances, foreigners can legally acquire land according to this article: Acquisition of Land by non-Thai citizens

Bangkok Bank has those services available. Scroll down to Safe Deposit Boxes for annual rental fees and types/sizes: Bangkok Bank Help Center

TJ Mansion, Patong. First turning on the left off Ratchapathanuson Road after the Fire Station going north. There's a 7/11 on the corner so you can't miss it.

It's a 20 sq mtr room with balcony together with free Internet and hot water. Rent is 10,000 Baht a month provided you stay a minimum three months. It has airco, but you'll have to pay seven Baht a Kwh for electricity.

This link on Google Street View will place you right outside the front door: TJ Mansion

I stayed there myself for three months a couple of years ago and they're friendly people.

www.ebookers.com has a flight on MAS departing BKK on Jan 1 for £478 (roughly 24,000 THB).

I've been looking at this issue myself since I visit Thailand quite regularly.

Looking at Bangkok bank's fees at http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/WebServices/HelpCenter/Pages/FeeTable.aspx I note that the fee for Mastercard withdrawals is 180 Baht while ordinary ATM cards only incur a 150 Baht fee. The odd thing here is that Bangkok bank ATMs at least always read my card as a Mastercard. Consequently, I always see the higher figure on the screen when I withdraw funds.

Somebody posted here that Bank of Ayutthaya a.k.a. Krungsi bank allows you to withdraw 30,000 Baht, but unfortunately for me at least, this doesn't help since my own bank limits cash withdrawals to €500 for foreign transactions.

Also, my bank charges 1% of the total amount which includes the 180 Baht withdrawal fee which is an added irritation. When you add the two together and then calculate the exchange rate, you lose about two Baht compared with the exchange rate for cash transactions.

The most preferential rates seem to apply to cash transactions since the exchange rate is higher and there aren't any fees at all. But there's the obvious danger of having to carry large sums of money around.

For expats living in Thailand, you might want to look at renting a safe deposit box and just loading it up with your own currency; exchanging cash as and when you need it. At Bangkok bank, you can rent a small one for an annual fee of 900 Baht. You'll find details in the link I've included above.

It seems the Anonymous group of hackers is encouraging its supporters to send faxes to Mastercard, Visa, Paypal and the like in a kind of DDoS attack on fax machines.

...password protect the BIOS, but this again does not stop somebody removing the hard drive, and of course removing the battery from the PC will reset the BIOS password.

Not always. My GF has a Sony Vaio notebook which includes the option to create a power on password. In the event of her forgetting the password, removing the battery will have no effect and necessitates a visit to an authorized Sony dealer to clear the password.

Use the option to create a Master Password. This encrypts all the other passwords you have stored on your machine so that they cannot be read by third party tools.

Try inserting a music CD. If you double click the drive, can you read the contents? If so, then the drive can read. If not, eject the disc and check it for scratches. Try wiping the disc with a damp cloth.

As regards writing, try different manufacturers. Some drives are choosy about which discs they will write to.

Is your machine still under warranty? If so, contact their support desk. You might qualify for a free replacement drive. Here's HP's site for your machine (don't know which model is yours).