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thaieagle67
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Posts posted by thaieagle67
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Not sure why you would want an online site based in Pattaya.
For hotel bookings there are a myriad of reputable sites Agoda, Sawadee, Asiatravel and Directrooms come
to mind.
For flights,just go straight to the airline website.
Of course you need valid plastic to do all this.
Naka.
I have looked at the hotel booking sites and the airline sites but what i need is an all in package of flight and hotel, so then my missus can just collect as required. I cannot seem to get e-tickets for the flights i want, so it ain't that easy. I was told about sunny online, who are based in Naklua i think, but their package booking link is not opening.
I appreciate all the feedback and will continue trying
Thanks
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I am trying to book some flights and hotel for an up coming trip abroad but i am working overseas at the moment and don't really want to dump the booking on the better half, as i am sure mis-communication may cock it all up. Can anyone recommend a decent travel agent that they know has an online service?
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HI
The price incl. VAT is 845.30 unlimited, thats with free SMS and local call, buy it in the morning and if it dont work bring it back before 15.00 and you get your money back. the price for the usb modem is 11.000, if they have any left.
Whats the connection like using one of these set ups, as i live out in the sticks and the chance of a land line to the house is a long way off?
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When I lived in Nern Plub Wan rubbish was collected very frequently (daily I think) and it seemed clean enough. What area are you (the OP) referring to?
It appears to be mainly at the Eastern ends of Soi Khaotalo and Soi Khaonoi and the back roads that link them. I have a few friends that moved out there when the area was OK but cannot now sell up and move because all prospective buyers are being put off. Something should be done about it but many of the locals appear to be unfased by it all. As jonniebkk highlights, many of the Thais living in that area are not original from Pattaya, so probably don't really care what the place looks like, shame but a reality I suppose
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Obviously nobody told you that the dark side (East Pattaya) is a dump. Both for refuse and farangs.
Think about it, would you buy a house in the UK or elsewhere that was half the price of a house in a nice area??
No, because you would wonder why it was so cheap, and put 2+2 together.
Som Nam Naa keeniow
I am above responding to a comment like that, only to say i do not live in East Pattaya, only drive through it daily to take my daughter to school but feel for those that have to put up with it. Never the less as others have mentioned there are plenty of very expensive and exclusive estates in that area, so your comment is flawed.
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Hey all you seasoned drivers,,,,,,,,,,,,,I will be taking an excursion with my wife to her home in Lamphun via a brothers place in Pitsanulok,,,,,,,,,,,,,,very soon.
One night stay in Pit,,,,,,then up to Lamphun,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I have several maps and I have been as as far as the Highway 1 and 2 junctions north of BKK a few times but no farther north,,,,also to Khorat,,,,,,,does anyone have a recommended route to take to Pitsanulok and then to Lamphun?
I was looking at going up the outer ring road number 9 ( coming from Pattaya by the way) to highway 32 up to 11 and follow 11 to Pitsanulok,,,,,,,,,then using 11 all the way to Lamphun,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Can anyone tell me a better route either because of road conditions or construction issues?
Thanks
PK
I go this route very often as my wife's family lives up near Phrae. The trip direct from Pattaya takes anywhere from 7 to 9 hours depending on how heavy your driving boots are! The fact that you will be stopping in Pitsanulok for a night will be an added advantage, as crossing the mountains between Uttaradit & Denchai then again near Lamphun when your tired can be scary, so starting fresh from there will be safer. There is another route to Pitsanulok via Phetchabun but its about the same in distance and often busier due to it being closer to Isaan.
Enjoy the trip, especially through the moutains, some great views and road side markets for the wife to fill the boot!
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I am sorry to complain and maybe it's just me but I have two issues that I need to shout about.
The first is that I cannot get my head around the state of the rubbish tip that is growing on the road sides in and around the East Pattaya area. It is a crime that these roads are just strewn with plastic bags, construction rubble and christ knows what else. The question has to be why nothing is being done to clear the disgusting mess, as many residential homes line these roads, so the smell and eyesore must effect daily life and I am really sure the tourist that may venture out that way will be very impressed! I am sick to death of watching people just throw all and sundry from their vehicles onto to road sides without concideration. In addition to this I recently sat at a local village shop and watched a local lady spend 20 minutes cleaning her yard, only then to watch her throw the collected rubbish over her wall into the unocupied land next door................!
Again it might be me but when I travel to the North to visit my wifes family, the little villages there are almost to the point of being spotless, with so much pride being placed on keeping the village presentable. Why then do people treat Pattaya like their own garbage disposal yard?
The second rant is about the amount of shop houses that are being built in and around the country side East of Pattaya (and the rest of Thailand for that matter), as in most cases they remain empty for years and become another unwanted eyesore in an otherwise beautiful location. Why do these buildings keep being allowed to be built in areas where they are clearly not needed and do in no way beautify the place, quite the opposite. Anyone who has been down to Koh Samet in recent times can see this to the extreme as you come into Ban Phe to catch a boat, with rows and rows of moldy, empty shophouses, what a horrible welcome to such a lovely island.
Rant over!
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I am hoping to go to the Malaysian GP in March and wanted to know if anyone has tried to book travel to sporting events from within Thailand?
I have looked at many internet sites claiming to be the best but most are Europe or South African based, so the prices are daft! I can book tickets direct from the track but i would prefer to have an all in package (flights, hotel, etc) as there will be a group of us and the less hassle the better to enjoy the event.
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They closed Beach road one afternoon in the beginning of this month for a parade. Second road was nade into two way traffic, and was just jammed. The traffic will be backed up on second road, Central road, North Pattaya road and third road. This is where the traffic will go.
I'm not one to tell Thai people what to do, but to me the most desirable decision would to ban tour busses from beach road especially in the evening. This would help the traffic congestion.
They will live and lear. Pattaya is in need of a good traffic engineer.
Barry
The core issue here is the reluctance of the local officials to clamp down on various areas of concern. The amount of Song Thaew's plying their trade in Pattaya, I mean 700 of them in a city this size, come on that is shear lunacy!
As "barryof thailand" mention's, a stronger arm is needed on the tour buses that double park on the busiest areas of beach road, allowing the idiot guides to stream clueless numbers of Chinese, Korean, etc, tourists across the road. Not forgetting they then park down the small sois blocking the way for delivery vehicles, etc.
Now the motorbike hire companies! Well they were moved before and it made a big difference but once again the local officials buckled and allowed them all back again and look what's returned, utter chaos.
Last but not least is the mob from Bangkok that decend on Pattaya (rightly so, this is their country). They seem to have a free run to park wherever they want (like they do back in the smoke), with double parking a big favorite. The local boys in Brown just appear to have no interest at all in controlling this kind of behavior.
Closing beach road will achieve nothing, its the control of the above which will start to bring some reprieve from traffic problems. I read the Chonburi Governor will come down hard on the beach vendors who don't comply, so why doesn't he do the same with the Song Thaew owners, tour bus owners, etc, or are they just too big to take on?
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I am on a job in the Middle East and we have a load of Fortuner 4.0 V6's to play with! Crap paint jobs, although they are getting well used offroad so i don't think colour choice was in the purchasing equation. Very popular with the guys here, mainly for the sheer grunt but that V6 does sound good when its fired up. Just a shame the politics of LOS do not allow for these to be sold locally. I wonder if you could sweet talk Toyota to sell you one on the quiet, it'll cost an arm & a leg to run but what fun you could have getting a few more horses out of it!
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"I have visited the school and yes, it is shabby in places as the result of the children.."......
A comment like this really totally invalidates any thing this person might have to say - IT"S THE KIDS FAULT the the place is shabby - I ask you!!!!!
I suppose it's the kid's fault he broke his arm and received no treatment!?!?!?!?!
I would also question the motives of this poster - naming Names etc is rather threatening in tone.....what is his interest/relationship with the school?
I hve no axe to grind here and I have no kids in the school.
I do know several parents who have removed their children from this school and are highly critical of the goings on there.
And then there was the recent thread concerning the incident where the kids were vaccinated without their parent's consent - indeed in some cases after the parents had expressly stated NOT to vaccinate them, which resulted in some kids receiving a double dose. Not only was this 'mistake' outrageously careless and dangerous, but the subsequent attitude of school officials beggared belief!
I know that one has to take anything posted here with a degree of scepticism, but to me the evidence from people I happen to know personally is overwhelming, and I would advise all parents to give this school a wide birth,. It really is bad news.
Mobi,
The original thread about the broken arm incident is appauling but when you mention about the vaccination it got me very very concerned. My daughter attends the Kindergarden side of the school and stories like these are scary. We took our daughter out of Satit and moved her to BEST to help (we thought!) her English improve but on my last few trips to pick her up I have noticed how badly maintained the place is. I work offshore so my wife did all the investigating for a new school and didn't have any real information that set the alarm bells ringing but reading this has, so we will be taking a closer look when I get home!
I took my daughter out from this school when she was 3, as she was being hit, along with the other kids in her class by a friend of the Thai principal, who would not do anything to stop it, as it is his bit on the side apparently!!
Anyway we moved her to Phoenix kindergarden school on Sukhumvit 100m from Kanyong building suppliers. Great positive English teachers and spotless new school, reasonably priced as well. I've just got back from their Christmas show and it was excellent and all the families enjoyed it. My daughter has improved fantastically and now speaks fluent Thai & English and leans 30mins of Chinese everyday as well. The principal and his wife are there everyday and are very conscientious in ensuring the school is running well. Give it a try as it is well worth the trip.
Thanks for the info. We'll give it a look over when i get back to Pattaya, as well as the possibility to take my daughter back to Satit. Reports from the forum tell us that improvements have been made at Satit that at least warrant another look.
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"I have visited the school and yes, it is shabby in places as the result of the children.."......
A comment like this really totally invalidates any thing this person might have to say - IT"S THE KIDS FAULT the the place is shabby - I ask you!!!!!
I suppose it's the kid's fault he broke his arm and received no treatment!?!?!?!?!
I would also question the motives of this poster - naming Names etc is rather threatening in tone.....what is his interest/relationship with the school?
I hve no axe to grind here and I have no kids in the school.
I do know several parents who have removed their children from this school and are highly critical of the goings on there.
And then there was the recent thread concerning the incident where the kids were vaccinated without their parent's consent - indeed in some cases after the parents had expressly stated NOT to vaccinate them, which resulted in some kids receiving a double dose. Not only was this 'mistake' outrageously careless and dangerous, but the subsequent attitude of school officials beggared belief!
I know that one has to take anything posted here with a degree of scepticism, but to me the evidence from people I happen to know personally is overwhelming, and I would advise all parents to give this school a wide birth,. It really is bad news.
Mobi,
The original thread about the broken arm incident is appauling but when you mention about the vaccination it got me very very concerned. My daughter attends the Kindergarden side of the school and stories like these are scary. We took our daughter out of Satit and moved her to BEST to help (we thought!) her English improve but on my last few trips to pick her up I have noticed how badly maintained the place is. I work offshore so my wife did all the investigating for a new school and didn't have any real information that set the alarm bells ringing but reading this has, so we will be taking a closer look when I get home!
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One the life side, both LCD and Plasma seem to be labelled with same life these days.
You definitely want to see how the TV handles the signal you watch.
No UBC then go to another shop.
It is also useful to see the same signal sent to the models you want to compare,
they do NOT all look the same.
I have a Samsung 32" LCD and am delighted with it.
A restaurant where I eat has JVC which has serious horizontal linearity problems........
The image stretches at the edges of the screen. Most obvious on pan shots and where
there is text scrolling across. Awful.
Only the biggest and most expensive models offer 1080dpi horizontally.
Most are 720dpi so you will never get the full high definition effect.
This applies to LCD and Plasma.
If you want to download HD clips to test the TV, remember you need a powerful processor in your PC
to be able to play them
I wanted to buy the Philips 42" LCD Full HD 1920x1080p model from Numchai but after reading these mails I think I will be wasting my time. I plan to purchase the JSAT satellite system but from what many of you are saying the signal that I will receive to the TV will only make the picture worse if I go for this Full HD version.
Philips have some lower definition TV's but the Full HD version on display in Numchai had the best picture by far and really took my eye, with a reasonable price tag to match. The guy in the showroom told me that the Sony Full HD was in his opinion the best but came with a very high price. Then again this all completely irrelevent if signals received via any of the local satellite channels are not up to it!
So what next, is a lower definition TV by any manufacturer the only way to go with the current Satellite/Cable systems?
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It sound very much that you are also non domiciled.
However you must actively get your non 'dom status' agreed with the revenue, as you would not wish your heirs to do this after your demise. In your case it will be quite straight forward, but you must do it.
Read the following:
UK Domicile
Q1.I am not resident in the UK for tax purposes and haven't been so for many years so surely I am not domiciled in the UK?
No, domicile and tax residency are 2 entirely different things. A person can be tax resident somewhere completely different to his place of domicile. The simplest explanation of domicile is that it is the place with which you have the closest connection and that will nearly always be your place of nationality or birth until concrete steps are taken to change that. If you are a British national born in the UK you will almost certainly still be domiciled there even if you haven't lived in the UK for many years.
Q2.I am married to a foreign national. Does this make any difference?
Yes it makes a great deal of difference. Normally transfers between a husband and wife are exempt from UK IHT so planning against UK IHT is designed to assist your children or other heirs. However, the exemption only applies if it is between 2 domiciled persons. So, if you are domiciled but your spouse is not then on your death the transfer to your spouse would be chargeable to UK IHT at 40%. This makes it even more crucial that you try and rid yourself of this liability. Obviously, if you are both non domiciled then the issue of UK IHT does not arise except insofar as you have UK situated assets. UK assets are always subject to UK IHT irresepective of who owns them but we can plan against this. Additionally, being married to a foreign national will probably greatly assist in any attempt to to establish another domicile.
Q3.I don't have any assets in the UK so what is the relevance of my domicile?
The relevance is that because of your domicile you may still liable to UK inheritance tax at 40% on the value of your worldwide estate. You do have a tax free threshold (known as the Nil Rate Band) which is currently £285,000. However, add up the value of everything that you own wherever it is situated i.e. your holiday home, your main residence, your portfolio of investments, your furniture, art and wine collection. Take away any outstanding loans you have and that should leave you with a figure of your total net worth. Deduct £285,000 and your potential tax bill is 40% of the remainder.
Q4.OK, so I may be liable to UK inheritance tax but if I die abroad after many years of living outside the UK then how will they know I have died and collect the tax?
Relying on the tax man not finding out is NOT good planning. If you have any assets whatsoever in the UK then it will be impossible to get those assets transferred without obtaining probate. Part of the probate process necessitates getting a clearance from the Capital Taxes Office so they will, of necessity, be given the opportunity to assess the tax due. If you have no assets or a will in the UK but have heirs who are resident in the UK then they may be questioned about how they came to receive the inheritance and that may trigger the investigation. If you die in a country which has a tax treaty with the UK that treaty will contain exchange of information clauses so the foreign tax authority may inform the UK about your death. If none of this applies then it is unlikely, but not impossible, that the UK will find out but why take the risk? You will be potentially liable unless you obtain a ruling that you are non UK domiciled. The cost of getting the ruling is small. The cost of doing nothing may be huge. This is insurance against a 40% tax bill.
Q5.I have been told that if I have UK situated property or other assets I cannot be considered non UK domiciled?
Wrong. Having UK property or other assets does indicate that you have retained a connection with the UK but if sufficient evidence of connection to another country can be established it will outweigh any considerations about UK assets. Sovereign has a 100% success record in processing applications and nearly all applicants have owned UK property and other UK investments.
Q6.So how do I establish that I am not domiciled in the UK?
You must establish a close connection with another place. The UK Revenue say that it is not possible to lose an UK domicile until that person has been out of the UK for 3 years. So, in theory, any stay of 3 years in another country could be sufficient to establish an alternative domicile but in practice we suggest that an application is not made until you have been in another country for a minimum period of 6/7 years and have made some real social and business commitments to that new place of residence. Legally there are really only 2 criteria necessary to establish that you have lost your UK domicile: (1) Can you honestly state that you have left the UK and have no current intention to return to live there on a permanent basis? (2) Have you established another permanent home and residence abroad?
If the answer to both these questions is "yes" then you have established an alternative domicile but you still have the task of convincing the UK Revenue that this is the case.
Q7.What happens if I establish a foreign domicile and then change my mind and return to the UK?
You can visit the UK as often as you like without this effecting your domicile. If you become tax resident in the UK again for a finite period such as to be near your children when they are at school or university, to take up a job in the UK for a number of years or just return to the UK to live with it in mind that you will come back to your foreign place of domicile later then this should not immediately effect your domicile and you will remain non UK domiciled. This status has very large UK income and capital gains tax benefits. UK residents who are not domiciled in the UK pay tax only on income arising in the UK and foreign income remitted to the UK. In practice this means that non domiciled persons can live in the UK virtually or absolutely tax free. This is why many wealthy foreign nationals choose to live in the UK as they can do so while enjoying this hugely advantageous tax status.
Q8.What if I go back to the UK permanently?
Then you will generally pick up your UK domicile again but even then assets which were transferred into a discretionary trust while you were not domiciled should remain outside the scope of UK inheritance tax forever. Generally a person will go back to the UK but would probably not decide that he is going to remain there permanently until he has spent some time there and seen whether he likes it again. Until the decision is made to stay there permanently the foreign domicile can be retained. Of course, if you know the minute you set foot back in the UK that you are going to remain there then you will pick up your UK domicile again immediately. Most people do not have such certainty in their plans.
Q9.I have been living quietly abroad for many years and don't want the Inland Revenue to pick up my file again. Won't making application for the non domicile status make that occur?
This shouldn't be a worry. Confidentiality in all its forms is disappearing fast. Information is now being exchanged between tax authorities automatically or by request and if any element of your planning relies upon the fact that you are "below the radar" then this is bad planning and you are at risk. Normally there is a way of mitigating any particular tax and it would be wise to assume that any and all information about your finances and tax affairs will eventually come to light and plan accordingly. Keeping your head down (or buried in the sand!) is unlikely to be a sensible approach to tax planning.
Q10.What are the alternatives?
You can give away your assets at least 7 years prior to death and then no UK IHT will be payable irrespective of your domicile position. However, most of us have some difficulty in timing this correctly and are reluctant to have to rely upon the charity of others later in life so this is rarely a feasible option. You can insure against inheritance tax but that tends to be expensive particularly as you get older. You can assume you are non domiciled and take the chance but why would you want to do that when there is a relatively simple procedure to get certainty?
Q11.I thought that if you transferred assets into trust then they were outside the scope of UK IHT anyway?
Yes they are but to transfer them into the trust when you are UK domiciled attracts a UK lifetime inheritance tax charge of 20% of the value of those assets.
Q12.Are there any disadvantages to obtaining UK non domiciled status?
No. The status affects only your UK tax position so unless you see paying less tax as disadvantageous there are no disadvantages. Your entitlement to social security, access to the NHS, pension rights and any other UK state benefits remains unaffected.
Mobi,
Thank's for all the great information. I am currently putting my will together and this information was an interesting read. I believe that i am non-domiciled, so would you happen to know the right contact person(s) at the Inland Revenue to follow this up?
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You guys obviously haven't spent much time in the North, with good quality open roads that are ideal for hitting the gas a little more
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I have been looking at purchasing something different from the norm as a fun vehicle to take up around the great roads around Northern Thailand (Phrae, Nan, Phayao, etc).
The Mazda MX-5 comes highly rated from Europe as an affordable & enjoyable drive but when looking into the price for one here in Thailand i nearly died. 2.35M to 2.5M Baht is what they want
They are the equivalent of 1.36M Baht in the UK (one of the most expensive areas in Europe), so how do they get away with charging prices like that here when the MX-5 is only 2000cc maximum and around 158bhp, so shouldn't get hit with as many of the taxes associated with higher rated vehicles. It's no wonder the roads are so boring with lines of pick-ups, Fortuners (which I already own and like), Honda Jazz's, Vios's, etc. Only the crazy rich would throw away money like that for such a little car. Christ knows what a top of the range BMW, Merc, Audi, etc, would cost!
Has anyone gone for a higher range European model (or Japanese for that matter) only to be scared away by the pricing?
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I have been planning flying back to Singapore to get a new 1 year multi entry O visa but i have heard and read so many conflicting stories about where they can be obtained, please help! I am 40, i have been married to my Thai wife for 7 years and we have 2 children born in Thailand. I work offshore 1 month on, 1 month off, just so you know my full background to help me get the right info.
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Or look at my post, from 2 days ago.
TAWP, can you tell me how long it took to process and did you take the other half with you as back up?
What times are they open?
Thanks
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I have a Multi O (married status) visa which runs out in October. Can anyone tell me if the Thai Embassy in Singapore still issues these visa's, as it is where i obtained mine last year! Can I also apply before the old one expires as my chances to get to Singapore in October are slim!
I was in Sing in August for an extension of my O visa. I had all the papers, y.c more than 800k in a Thai Bank. Result: 3 month single entry O visa!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I picked mine up last October and when i went to offer my financial statements the lady on the desk pushed them back at me saying "no need". Now wether this is because i have got kids and presented their birth certificates first i am not sure but as i say they were not interested in home much money i had at all. Has anyone else had the same?
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I have a Multi O (married status) visa which runs out in October. Can anyone tell me if the Thai Embassy in Singapore still issues these visa's, as it is where i obtained mine last year! Can I also apply before the old one expires as my chances to get to Singapore in October are slim!
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Considering the altitude of the satellites (22,300km) what you can see in the sky does not really reflect what's in the way. Also the transmission medium - KU Band - leaves a lot to be desired. I think the transmission point is Nontaburi for UBC - could be wrong thoug.
Just to let you know that we were watching the game here in the Middle East and the signal was also lost for a period of time, so it must have been the signal from the UK that was effecting the whole thing!
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If it's multi-room audio that is the main feature, there's a lot of systems out there designed just for that purpose that are much better suited and cheaper, Check out Sonos for example, I personally use and sell this product and its light years ahead of anything else on teh market.
Solosiam,
I have had a shop around and the Sonos system looks very good. Can you advise me on set up and prices?
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whats all the fuss about, its ONE night, and this is about Thailand's future, i can't believe the childish and disrespectful attitude here. this is a country of 65 million not some small pacific island or colonial outpost that needs to pander to your right as a visitor to get inebriated for one day.
stock up on your own alcohol now that you know in advance.
i actually think its a good day to be holding elections, end of the year, people are less busy to step out and make a vote. plus the 24th will likely be a public holiday, which is a bonus for those of us working here since christmas is never a public holiday here.
I wholly agree your comments, particularly your point about being disrespectful.I'm no admirer of the junta but the asinine responses on this thread do make me sympathise with the wish in many Thai quarters to reduce bad foreign influences.Frankly I think Thailand should try and position itself to move away from the low rent booze and broads tourist/visa runner market.It would be beneficial to Thailand and I suspect also for this forum.
To sum up it is entirely a matter for the Thais to decide when their election is to be held, and it is a dam cheek for this to be questioned by a few farang.
No comment! -
If it's multi-room audio that is the main feature, there's a lot of systems out there designed just for that purpose that are much better suited and cheaper, Check out Sonos for example, I personally use and sell this product and its light years ahead of anything else on teh market.
I'll have a look around and then maybe give you a shout if i am not happy with whats on offer.
Thanks for the info
They are the equivalent of 1.36M Baht in the UK (one of the most expensive areas in Europe), so how do they get away with charging prices like that here when the MX-5 is only 2000cc maximum and around 158bhp, so shouldn't get hit with as many of the taxes associated with higher rated vehicles.
My Experience With The New Ford Focus Tdci
in Thailand Motor Discussion
Posted
Rick,
Where did you purchase the Sport from and if you don't mind me asking what was the price?
Did you have to ask for many extras or was the complete package enough?