Beetlejuice

My wife owns 3 investment properties in Australia 100% and not 49% (land and buildings) but I am forbidden from investing in Thailand. There should be laws that if a farang is banned in Thailand then Thais should be banned overseas. Won't happen tho as other countries welcome foreign investment no matter how small.

Total nonsense. I will try to explain in ways that even you may understand.

Farangs are not forbidden from investing in Thailand, they can purchase land and real estate, buy stocks and shares, own businesses and in fact the BOI encourages foreign investment into the country, only they insist that foreign investors are required to fit a certain criteria and invest a substantial amount that sways the benefits in favour of the Thai people.

Thailand is not interested in farangs of little wealth buying and solely owning real estate at bargain prices (if compared to the equivalent in their home countries) that are of no benefit to the country whatsoever. Permitting farangs to freely own land and real estate in Thailand would be a disaster for the country. It would encourage land and property speculators, dodgy company ownerships, land wars, marriages of convenience and group buying in order to get into the property markets and the mass buying of land in the poorer regions that would have the affect of increasing land prices substantially whereas the working class Thais would not be able to compete. Then it would involve the purchasing of agricultural lands and evolving into the ownerships of whole land and housing developments, the list goes on and on.

We cannot equate the social and economic structure of Thailand with that of the west and therefore Thailand must place limits with conditions on what foreigners may own in Thailand for reasons I have mentioned above.

Farangs are not forbidden from investing in Thailand, they can purchase land and real estate, buy stocks and shares, own businesses and in fact the BOI encourages foreign investment into the country, only they insist that foreign investors are required to fit a certain criteria and invest a substantial amount that sways the benefits in favour of the Thai people.

Is that not a contradiction to apply certain criteria to foreigners that are not applied if you are Thai when looking at the first part of your sentence that states that “Farangs are not forbidden from investing in Thailand, they can purchase land and real estate, buy stocks and shares, own businesses”?

Can`t be bothered. NEXT.

My wife owns 3 investment properties in Australia 100% and not 49% (land and buildings) but I am forbidden from investing in Thailand. There should be laws that if a farang is banned in Thailand then Thais should be banned overseas. Won't happen tho as other countries welcome foreign investment no matter how small.

Total nonsense. I will try to explain in ways that even you may understand.

Farangs are not forbidden from investing in Thailand, they can purchase land and real estate, buy stocks and shares, own businesses and in fact the BOI encourages foreign investment into the country, only they insist that foreign investors are required to fit a certain criteria and invest a substantial amount that sways the benefits in favour of the Thai people.

Thailand is not interested in farangs of little wealth buying and solely owning real estate at bargain prices (if compared to the equivalent in their home countries) that are of no benefit to the country whatsoever. Permitting farangs to freely own land and real estate in Thailand would be a disaster for the country. It would encourage land and property speculators, dodgy company ownerships, land wars, marriages of convenience and group buying in order to get into the property markets and the mass buying of land in the poorer regions that would have the affect of increasing land prices substantially whereas the working class Thais would not be able to compete. Then it would involve the purchasing of agricultural lands and evolving into the ownerships of whole land and housing developments, the list goes on and on.

We cannot equate the social and economic structure of Thailand with that of the west and therefore Thailand must place limits with conditions on what foreigners may own in Thailand for reasons I have mentioned above.

I would never consider moving to Thailand if my existence here had to rely on a job and being only one pay cheque away from disaster if I lost that job.

On average a farang should be looking at earning between 40000 and 60000 baht per month. Jobs opportunities for farangs wanting to work legally in Thailand are extremely limited, unless they have special skills, such as high grade engineers, technology specialists, teachers or here representing companies from abroad, as I did for many years.

Many farangs are working or running companies illegally in the country and over the years I have learned to never ask farangs what they do in Thailand. But for me I would not want to be here in those circumstances..

My advice is; do some research and apply for jobs in Thailand from the home country, and if successful, do not give up everything in the home country and only consider a job here as an adventure and not as a long term career prospect or a secure means for being able to stay long term in Thailand.

also Thailand has a fair amount of trust fund babies who need never work.

Absolutely true.

As I said; if I were here on the basis of having to rely on a job in Thailand, living hand to mouth, month by month, I would not enjoy that at all and rather remain in my own country.

But, as the wise man says; all good things come to those who wait and I waited to the time was right. I have been here 31 years but during that time had to travel abroad on behalf of the company I worked for, having to spend a lot of time away from my wife and family working hard, paying into pension schemes and saving as much as possible for my retirement along the way. Then later at 56 years old, took early retirement and now reaping the rewards and making the most of my life, independent and beholding to no one. Worked my way legally and all above board, paid my taxes and today I can sit here with my feet up and not a care in the world, in a country and environment that I love. Not living in luxury, but not counting my pennies either. Also provided well for my wife and family, I consider myself a winner.

The younger people should always plan well ahead. Which directions in life people take in there 20s, 30s and 40s determines their lifestyles later on. The key is having patience, not jumping into anything, and better to archive the right qualifications that will increase the odds of a better paid, more secure up market permanent job in Thailand than just coming over on a hope and a prayer that things will work out.

That’s the advice I gave my children and that`s the advice I give to those considering seeking employment or running a company in Thailand for the long term.

I would never consider moving to Thailand if my existence here had to rely on a job and being only one pay cheque away from disaster if I lost that job.

On average a farang should be looking at earning between 40000 and 60000 baht per month. Jobs opportunities for farangs wanting to work legally in Thailand are extremely limited, unless they have special skills, such as high grade engineers, technology specialists, teachers or here representing companies from abroad, as I did for many years.

Many farangs are working or running companies illegally in the country and over the years I have learned to never ask farangs what they do in Thailand. But for me I would not want to be here in those circumstances..

My advice is; do some research and apply for jobs in Thailand from the home country, and if successful, do not give up everything in the home country and only consider a job here as an adventure and not as a long term career prospect or a secure means for being able to stay long term in Thailand.

I hope you are successful too. Remember, in the US they would have the right to fix it. They might decide to replace it but they don't have to. You could probably get a refund instead.

I have no idea about Thai law.

PS Your legal term "not fit for the purpose intended" is a US legal term and who knows if it means anything to Thailand.

Thanks to all

Yeah, I use legal terms because this is not a cheap Thai product - it's an imported brand famous for its reliability.

I understand about the repair, but it's a water leak, the product has 4 points of possible weakness, 2 are fine on one item, 3 are fine on the other item.

The product has a 24 month guarantee, but I didn't want a local interpreting it as he could just wipe some silicone on a leak and expect that to be an acceptable repair, factory repairs would be cool, but that's a trip back to Italy - let's say 7 weeks already and another month + for repairs - I find that unacceptable.

Anyway, fingers x this is all unnecessary worry.

This is diificult to answer unless we know the terms and conditions of the guarantee.

If you are demanding that the companies involved accommodate you over and above what is in the terms of the guarantee, than your only option is to hire the services of a reputable lawyer and take your grievances to the civil court.

The want firm proof of where you are living at the time you apply for the extension.

Not disagreeing, but why? Never had to before and every time you move somewhere it goes into the system anyway.

What if you live in an hotel- will they accept a receipt from the hotel. It's not a requirement of retirement in Thailand to live in one place, far as I know.

They require proof you are living in the area and eligible to apply for your retirement extension at whatever the appropriate regional Immigration department.

The woman also mailed her a photo of the parcel and told her that she needed to pay Bt160,000 for customs clearance. She transferred the money to her and found out later that she was deceived.

No sympathy at all. There is one born every minute.

My email spam box becomes infested with scam messages every day, from promises of huge payments of money, lottery wins, business proposals and even from alleged young, blond Russian models who want to visit Thailand and marry me.

Simple, don`t even bother reading them, just click that good ole delete button and forget them.

I am talking from a Thai farmer point of view:

why not cheating all these stupid farang who will pay 50 baht a carrot thinking that it is organic and clean ?

why more farmers don't do it ?

To answer you in layman`s terms, producing organic foods is a slower method and requires more resources, which in turn makes the whole process much more expensive.

We cannot equate the economics of Thailand with the west. Considering that at least two thirds of Thailand`s population are poor and in most cases are living hand to mouth on a day to day basis, means they want foods at the lowest prices possible and for this reason are not too particular how it`s produced.

Producing organic foods in Thailand on a grand scale would not be viable for the farmers who make their living by quantity rather than quality and the costs would be unaffordable for the average working class Thais.

The financial contributions that ex-pats make towards the economy of Thailand is minimal and any farmers that decided to cater for the farang market would soon go out of business unless they could archive a reasonable organic food growth industry mainly dealing with exports.

In Thailand today these products are available in the farang orientated stores such as Rimping and even Makros, but still this line only caters for a very small minority of customers for reasons I have mentioned above.

The only reasons that I can think of why anyone in Thailand would what to employ Burmese gardeners or domestic workers in Thailand, is for the purposes of gaining their services at a cheaper rate, plus having more controls over these people than they would by employing Thais who have more statutory rights as citizens.

Otherwise, why would ex-pats living in Thailand have a preference for Burmese workers over Thais?

To answer the OP`s question: any information or whom should we contact for further information, I suggest making inquiries at the job centre in Mae Rim that actually deal with the issuing of work permits for Burmese.

The whole pricing scheme in Thailand is crazy, in a city where the minimum wage is 300THB they have 200 to 300 USD a day hotels, 20M TBH condos, 5 USD drinks at night. Even in the country Rai of land can run into the 100's of thousand THB.

Are you crazy? Those businesses aren't targeting the customers with minimum wage. Why would low income thai people who earn only the minimum wage need to stay at $200 to 300 a day hotels. Can low income Americans who live paycheck to paycheck afford to stay in Ritz Carlton or purchase luxurious condos in their own country? We live in the world of free market.

....or how can these low income Thais and Americans get healthcare, when all the doctors and hospitals are chasing the big money?

Low income Thais always can go to public hospitals regardless of their ability to pay. But they have to wait hours, and up to months if patients require surgery. I have never been to some smaller private hospitals in other cities, but the most reputable big name private hospitals in Bangkok do have fair pricing structure. However those hospitals are already expensive to begin with. I spent 4 days at Samitivej Sukhumvit. My total bill was 450,000 baht (thai/farange same price). My room and services I received were first class. I think it was well worth the price and still far cheaper than the US. In the US, if you have no adequate insurance or at all, hostipals will rape you to the extent where average people may have to file bankruptcy.

For emergency treatments and average health issues, meaning not too serious, I always use the government hospitals.

What you describe is exactly the same sort of service that patients obtain on the UK National Health system. In fact the process here at the Government hospitals is still better than most can receive on the British National Health.

This is old news, entrance into the road from the 108 end has been blocked for ages.

I too cannot see any reason or logic behind it, but this is Thailand where the word logic is not even listed in the Thai dictionary.

If I go into a private hospital for treatment and believe I have been over charged, than whom I going to call? Doctor busters?

How can a patient challenge the medical fees and who to? Is it possible to spend a day, visit all the private hospitals in and around our city areas and ask them for a price list? Will they be publishing their fees on-line on their websites? Somehow I doubt it.

Unless the above is imposed, than foreign patiences are left in the dark and completely up against the odds with these private hospitals that have the power to ban those whom they consider troublemakers and complainers from their facilities.

This only confirms what I have suspected for decades, only now it`s official, we are getting ripped off by the private medical practices.

I find situations like that scary and it`s difficult to know what to do for the best when events like that happen.

Back in 1950s New York, my Dad saw a man beating on a woman. My Dad intervened and they both turned on him, he ended up running for his life.

Unless physically I could overpower that guy or there were people to back me up, than the only options is to try and find a cop or turn around and walk away.

These untermensch became self appointed judges, jurors and executioners, their own law and above the law.

If this doesn`t deserve the death penalty, than I ask; what does?

It seems the vote here is unanimous that Thais are getting taller.

One of my neighbor`s sons who is now 17, is almost 6ft tall. Only 2 or 3 years ago his head only reached my chest and then he suddenly sprung up and is now taller than me.

My daughter`s Thai finance is 5ft 10ins tall. I can remember going back 20 and 30 years ago, I used to tower above the Thais when walking in the street, they used to consider me as a big guy, but now it seems to have evened out. Many are taller than me and I haven`t shrunk over the years, well not that much anyway. Even the girls seem to have grown taller these days. It was unusual to see a Thai girl over 5ft 3ins in the not so distant past, but now seeing girls over 5ft 6ins is quite common.

Perhaps it`s to do with the better economy? Better foods, medical care and living standards.

Hello Nancyl, sorry I got only this pic. Will check if I have other ones.

I also don't know if she did cat shirts but I know, she did rabbit shirts (I thought, what a nonsense, but they sold!).

The pic shows a hoodie shirts. I sent her a sample of a more sophisticated dog shirt from Germany, of course with a sophisticated price tag and good for sale at e.g. Emporium but not a market. But I know, she also does cheap simple shirts.

Don`t know whether or not this will be any use, only an idea that may interest you.

We have several dogs and cats, small to medium size. My wife came up with a suggestion that if we found photos of pet coats or clothes on-line, print them out, buy the material and then take them to our local tailor guy he may make them up for us. And that`s exactly what we did. He only charged 40 baht small and 50 baht medium size plus the price of the material. The quality of the material is up to you, but not expensive. You can buy the material in the many shops close by the river near the Warorot market.

Just a thought.

A couple of questions for some of you:

For those who have personally visited Chiang Mai Immigration after the so-called on-line facility was introduced to complete their 90 days reports, has the officer asked why have you not used the on-line system or recommended using the on-line system?

My 90 day report is due on the middle of next month and thought I would try a test run first.

But it now seems the 90 day report online link is down.

notification of staying in the Kingdom over 90 days via Internet

Sorry, false alarm, it`s back up again.

You don't need to do 90 day reports being on a Visa remember.

Sarcasm aside the direct link is http://extranet.immigration.go.th/pibics/online/tm47/TM47Action.do

Save that link for further use.

Why don`t I need to do 90 day reports on a visa? New rule or something?

Clicked on the link, got this:

Anyone else having the same problems.?

Before my edit option times out, clicked the link again and now working. It`s been up and down like a yo yo.

Online 90 day reporting is a joke. As far as I am concerned, not even an option.

My 90 day report is due on the middle of next month and thought I would try a test run first.

But it now seems the 90 day report online link is down.

notification of staying in the Kingdom over 90 days via Internet

Sorry, false alarm, it`s back up again.

Yes, Beetlejuice, why don't you start something to welcome newcomers?

Edit: The "scandal" the our dear BJ is referring to with regards to the Expats Club concerns the leadership of over 14 months ago. If anyone is approached at a CM Expats Club event by someone wanting to talk to them about an opportunity to invest money, the current leadership of the club would like to know about that conversation. Those discussions no longer have a place at a CEC event -- unless those people are with CEC sponsor Bangkok Bank and you've approached them at their sponsor table in the foyer outside a meeting.

To answer your question in a civilised manner as I am above having to use sarcasm in order to get my point across, I strongly believe that there is a need for some sort of completely FREE service run on a completely VOLUNTARY basis that OPERATES WITHIN THE LAWS offered to people in similar situations to the OP, where they can meet experienced old hands like myself and many others the same here on Thai visa, including professionals who can give advice regarding visas, the laws, general survival advice and a bit of social thrown in as well, business and pleasure all under the same roof, so to speak. It could also serve as a sort of oasis in the desert for those ex-pats who would enjoy some other ex-pat company once in a while, if they do not have any or only a few social connections here already.

As regards any commercial aspects of a so-called social club, I am simply not interested in anything run on those lines and would never want to become involved.

If such a certified credible non- commercial outfit was to take off in Chiang Mai, I would certainly consider becoming a part of the team and I am sure my family who are in the police, a lawyer and work in the Thai banking industry would be more than willing to offer their support.

What the OP and many in similar circumstances who live or are considering staying long term in Chiang Mai are seeking is sadly lacking in the city.

As regards the Expats club, there are good reports and bad reports about that outfit, having been a scandal associated with it in the past. I suggest the OP try the Expats club to see if he likes it or not, but besides that there is virtually nothing, unlike in Bangkok and Pattaya.

There are what they call the Chiang Mai Meetups and some stuff on facebook, but these are mostly specialist outfits, great for those who enjoy yoga, dance, eating weird food and those sort of things, but just for general socialising and meeting welcoming friendly old hands to give general advice and share in a few laughs and beers, is not happening in Chiang Mai or not that I know of?

Submitted my report this morning just after six, and it was approved around five thirty this afternoon. Saved me a trip to the post office.

Thanks for the update. I assume that meant you got as far as able to print the receipt for the next 90 day?

Also, what was your last entry date stamped in your passport. The reason I ask is due to the below response to ubonjoe in this topic. This may be why some of us can not get past the first page.

"In your case, the system cannot detect your last entry to Thailand in 2008. So ashamed to tell you that our information system change every few years. Only those entry to Thailand around 2013 - 2015 (now) can do or else you just have to come to our office as before.

If you really wanna do 90 days report via internet you have to make a re-entry permit, go to some country and come back in again. After the system has your entry data, you may proceed."

Thank you for this.

So in layman`s terms, does this mean that those who arrived or re-entered Thailand prior to 2013, cannot submit an online 90 day report?

A few other points; why did the mother send this guy copies of the death certificate and to where did she send the document ? And how did she receive the death certificate so soon after the death. The issuing of a death certificate can take weeks, especially regarding as you said; all is not quite right here with this guy and inquiries have to be made.

Are there any children involved and if so, where are they? Have either you or your wife made any statements to the police regarding the strange arrangements after the wedding, If not, why not?

out of 13 niece's she was our favourite bright beautiful and a happy go lucky nature

never asked for anything and a lovely personality.....we are gutted.

Firstly, no embassy would directly phone the deceased Thai’s mother requesting a death certificate on behalf of the said woman’s farang husband, or at least not without giving a reason. This would more likely be done either by a Thai lawyer or someone else representing the husband.

The only reasons why I can see the farang (if he is the official husband?) would want the original death certificate, is to free him up to marry again or in the future or he has some sort of life insurance policy or other insurance policies taken out on the woman and is making a claim or for the purposes of withdrawing monies from bank accounts that were solely in her name, either in Thailand, his home country or both.

Whatever, the whole affair sounds very dodgy in my opinion, it`s either some sort of ploy or a misinterpretation from the deceased mother. It is very easy to make inquiries with the embassy in question or contact the guy directly yourself and ask him what’s going on? As there is no way possible that strangers can give you any accurate answers on an open forum.

http://pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/164767/fake-watcher-seller-arrested-by-pattaya-police-following-stabbing-of-russian/

And this champ now selling fake Ray-Ban sunglasses in front of Mike Shopping Mall. So again, 500b and off you go?

How far back in history do you intend to go regarding your reviews of crimes committed by Thais against foreigners?

Please upload a recent photo of how you describe; this champ now selling fake Ray-Ban sunglasses in front of Mike Shopping Mall. Also where are your sources of information stating that the said guy got off with a 500 baht fine for his knifing attack?

These themed threads always seem to bring out the Thai bashers like you, that are full of crapola with unsubstantiated facts.