pookiki

All government's have a standard of 'plausible deniability'. In this case, however, all the Thai banks under scrutiny stated that they do not have the capacity to monitor and/or verify these allegations. So, if the banks don't know or, if they do know and are just admitting they are incompetent and unwilling to admit their incompetence, then there is no way to engage in 'plausible deniability', just inherent incompetence and stupidity.

Land bridge, hubs of countless varieties, a flood of tourists that will eventually ruin the Kingdom's reputation and now gambling? Does he think this will resolve the debt problem with Thai households or restrain Thais from borrowing from 'illegal' moneylenders? There's no focus or solid planning going on in government house just the soup d'jour to rescue the economy.

As many posters have already noted, Thailand has opened the flood gates to tourism in a effort to prop up the economy. For those who of us who do retire here, there is a rigorous process in applying for such a visa that requires a background check in the applicant's home country. But the real issue is that everything is for sale in Thailand. Corruption is rampant and a visa, work permit, etc, is available for all at the 'right' price. And it is downright discouraging for those of us who followed the rules, no matter how nonsensical or completely worthless - like mandatory health insurance for retirees, learn the language, care about the culture and are good human beings. Our reward is the excruciating trip to Chaeng Wattana every year to be scrutinized in a way that no other person who enters Thailand is and we will never be eligible for residency. And what about double pricing? How many countries outside of Thailand practice such an overt form of racism?

I'm amazed in talking to countless Thais about their ancestry and the reply is nearly uniform in saying: "I'm pure Thai." It is a badge of honor of 'ethnic purity'. Unfortunately, it is also a badge of complete ignorance. Anyone who knows anything about DNA knows that no human being is 'pure' anything. However, in Thailand, the most insulting thing you can do is to imply that any Thai has Burmese, Lao, or Cambodian ancestry. It is a complete rejection of history and reality in the name of ethnic purity.

I believe that the court's decision can be read several different ways. There could be many situations, outside a proposed change to a law, could be decided as unconstitutional. Given the fact that Thailand has had more constitutions than nearly every existing 'democracy' is somewhat humorous in and of itself. In any other situation, a proposed amendment or even an enacted amendment ruled unconstitutional would render the proposal or the newly enacted law null and void. However, in the current situation, there was no overt attempt to void Article 112. There was just an attempt to amend it to make it more humane it its application. How this becomes an act to 'attempt' to overthrow the monarchy remains a mystery to me. However, the court, in its wisdom and findings, should not have left the issue of dissolution to be decided at a later date. If the only finding is to 'cease and desist', then it should be left at that.

What I don't understand is why anyone would want to have their Social Security check direct deposited to any bank in Thailand when the exchange rates are so crappy. It makes much more sense to have the money deposited to your bank account in the US and transfer funds as necessary. Bank laws in Thailand are beyond the pall and not consumer oriented - especially for expatriates.

First problem that those of us who applied for an extension of stay based on retirement was that some embassies refused to provide income affidavits because they informed the Thai government that they were not in a position to verify the information. For those of us affected by this change, we then had to show proof of an international transfer in the amount of 65,000 baht/month which complicated the process. Now, it would appear that every person using the monthly income method would have to show that the source of funds is retirement income taxed in the home country and covered by 'bi-lateral' treaties. For those of us from the USA, we could have our social security directly deposited into a Bangkok Bank account at less than desirable exchange rates but what if we need more than social security to show an income of 65,000 baht/month? This could be the case with fluctuating exchange rates. So, push everyone into the mandatory deposit of 800,000 baht instead - which is a fool's choice if you need money or think about what would happen to the money in the event of one's death. To me, it is apparent that Thailand does not want retired expats anymore. It is a process that is too cumbersome and subject to arbitrary changes as this!