Beetlejuice

I doubt that separate metal face plates for light switches and power points are going to be available in Chiang Mai. Usually you have to buy the whole set, meaning a new switch or power-point that has marching plates.

This I have found to be the case with many items over the years.

"Luck" is a silly superstition. Protective spirits saved the day.

Its odd but two other strange things happened before i even got to the bus station the other morning.

The day before I lost the bus tickets I bought and under stress had to go back to the bus station to ask for more tickets printing out.

Then just before I was to leave for the bus station, my bike keys disappeared. I searched everywhere and found them in the fridge!

I was late setting off, and my fuel guage was reading empty.

something didn't want me to get on that bus that day.............its got to be just coincidence surely?

The main thing is that you came out of this in one piece and able to tell the tale. Could had been much, much worse an outcome.

There is no way I would had gone back on that bus, ace mechanic with his quick fix solution or not.

Behind every foreign criminal and law breaker in Thailand, there is a Thai. Because without the co-operation of Thais, foreigners would not be able to conduct criminal activities here.

This stems right from the bottom to the very top, from using Thai upfront names to run illegal businesses and land purchase, to fraudsters, scammers and those detailed in the OP. The Thais who assist these criminals should also be up there on display with their foreign accomplices.

He had posted a video of Patty and another man drinking together.

The girl worked in a bar and this is what girls who work in bars do. A very sad state of affairs.

I do remember that the Chiang Mai British Consulate closed down once before, it was during the early 1990s I think. Then after several years it opened again.

If a crime is taking place online, you can report it to the ThaiHotLine:

http://report.thaihotline.org/en

As far as I am concerned, this is the only vet in Chiang Mai:

http://banmhakamaew.com/about_en.php

In case anyone is interested, Dr. Piyapong (Mor Aaa) left on 01 January of this year. Retired was the word he used. He's now at his Sansai clinic more often than he was before. I'll have to double check but I think he said his hours were going to be 10-12:00 then 15:00-20:00 M-F and also on Saturday. He was the best doctor there and he was there for many years. Without him, we wouldn't see the need to go there again.

Don`t agree.

All our my pets have been under the care of Dr Chakkrit Chittawissutthi for several years and he is brilliant.

As far as I am concerned, this is the only vet in Chiang Mai:

http://banmhakamaew.com/about_en.php

At the Computer Plaza, ground floor on the very right by the stairs.

It`s in the second building next to the Amorn store.

If the pension money is going into a direct deposit bank account can you not have it set up to automatically transfer to your bank here in Thailand. Into a joint account? Or leave your ATM card to withdraw it to the wife with the PIN?

I would think it would be to the favor of the government to have your death reported.

All my bank accounts, here and abroad are in joint names with my wife. Obtaining the money for my family would not be a problem.

I also believe that having my death registered with both the US social security death index and the UK registry office (I have joint nationality) would be beneficial.

My recent personal experience was that it wasn't necessary to register in the UK. Probate in the UK needed the original death certificate plus an authorized translation stamped by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Their office is located in the government building along the Mae Rim road. Enter through the main entrance and it's the 2nd or 3rd door on the left on the ground (US = 1st) floor.

I'm not sure whether it's necessary to register to organize/transfer pension benefits. I guess not.

Make sure you request an autopsy at the time of death otherwise a cause of death won't be added to the death certificate. This is, I'm sure, important for probate in the UK.

There was a process from doctor confirming death to cremation but the consulate in Chiang Mai do not need to be involved. I visited and informed them. The police asked later whether we had informed them. The consular staff took the passport and I assume made a record of the death on their computer. They returned the passport after snipping off a corner with a pair of scissors. They were very polite and respectful, as always.

You make some very valid and important points here.

This is a matter that I haven`t really thought about seriously and thinking about it, should now be making inquiries.

I will contact my UK pension companies in the next few days and ask exactly what are their requirements if in the event of my death. Best straight from the horses mouth, so to speak.

Thanks again for this and appreciate you bringing this to my attention.

What about if a British national dies in Chiang Mai. Where do the friends or relatives go to report the death and have it listed in the British births, marriages and deaths registry?

Consulates can't register the death.

You pay 105 quid to do this by post.

https://www.gov.uk/register-a-death/y/overseas/thailand/same_country

It's not compulsory to register the death though.

It`s not compulsory to register, but for those of us that have wives and private pensions, it may be necessary to register so that the widow will receive her husband`s pension or a percentage or it according to the terms and conditions of the pension. I am in that category.

What about if a British national dies in Chiang Mai. Where do the friends or relatives go to report the death and have it listed in the British births, marriages and deaths registry?

Consulates can't register the death.

You pay 105 quid to do this by post.

https://www.gov.uk/register-a-death/y/overseas/thailand/same_country

Thanks for the info, Loaded.

My God, we still pay even when you`re dead. Now even RIP has a price tag.

What about if a British national dies in Chiang Mai. Where do the friends or relatives go to report the death and have it listed in the British births, marriages and deaths registry?

Everywhere I travel in Thailand, stores, service operators, banks and so on, always seen to be greatly over staffed. In many of the big stores, at times appear to have more staff than customers.

The times they are a changing, the world is becoming much more competitive for young people and the older employees can find themselves on the scrape heap once they reach over 35. It`s the old marketing strategy that began 20 years ago, more for less. Today companies want 18 to 20 something year old employees with 50 years work experience, on school leaver wages

I can remember warning family and friends 30 years ago that things are going to get a lot tougher once computer technology really starts hitting the fan and I was right.

Watch the video. This is why Thai people flee.

That is absolutely sick. Those people need to be taken out and shot.

Agree. This poor fellow was blocked in traffic and had no chance to flee the scene.

Look at that mob. Total strangers passing by, willing to join the pack of dogs.

I'm proud of that American woman for escaping.

She knows the area and was probably panicking trying to get to the police station.

Total crapola. I am sure you would have a different opinion if she had injured or killed someone nearest or dearest to you.

That maniac could have seriously injured or even killed people. The police would have been quite justified in shooting someone in those circumstances considering innocent lives were at high risk, which would probably had been the outcome in her own country.

At the time, this woman was only thinking about herself and never gave a rat`s behind about the safety of others in her path. Sorry, there can be no excuses to justify her actions.

I would advise first speaking with your husband in-depth to get to the root of the problem prior to submitting him for psychiatric treatment, for a problem that maybe easily resolved with a little tea and sympathy, care and understanding.

Seriously? From the OP - "My husband is Thai and is suffering from fairly severe depression which is leading him to become suicidal, he talks about wanting to die and killing himself often"

That is nothing to sit around a cup of tea for and have a 'chat' and needs a proper evaluation from a professional.

Firstly you only quoted part of my post, which does not fairly give an accurate description of what I have commented and seriously, I know almost nothing about depression, I`m not a psychiatrist. All I know that there is two types of depression, either caused by illness of the mind that does require profession attention and depression caused by problems relating to situations, such as relationship or financial or grief.

I have asked the OP to try and specify what has actually caused her husband`s depression. I would first want to know the facts of the case in order to make any suggestions before advising someone that this requires profession help, that in my opinion should be a last resort if other methods have been tried and failed.

To the OP:

Are you absolutely sure that your husband is presently experiencing severe depression?

I often tell my wife, when things start getting on my nerves that I feel like doing myself in at times, but I`m never really serious. If so, has he told you what is making him depressed? Or could it just be something to do with your relationship that is making your husband feel down in the dumps? If that`s the case than marriage counselling would probably be more beneficial and appropriate. Does he not sleep well, or drink or smoke or both excessively? What other signs does he display that suggest he is severely depressed? Perhaps his behaviour is quite normal when he is around other people?

I would advise first speaking with your husband in-depth to get to the root of the problem prior to submitting him for psychiatric treatment, for a problem that maybe easily resolved with a little tea and sympathy, care and understanding.

"Mizrahi, or Middle Eastern, Jews heavily backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, while Ashkenazi, or European, Jews mostly identified with the opposition Zionist Union."

Mizrahi is incorrect, that should read Sepheraddi, as oppose to the Ashkenazy, it's well known that

Ashkenazy originate people tend to be more liberal, left leaning voters, while the Sepheraddi are

more ' hot blooded' nationalist, right leaning Zionists.... and Netanyahu perceived as the keeper

of the gates and a hawkish leader....

Totally incorrect.

Sephardic ,Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews are all different groups.

Although some Sephardic Jews do have origins in the middle east and north Africa, the majority originate from Portugal and Spain, where as the Mizrahi are 100% middle eastern or known as oriental Jews.The three groups even have their own distinct languages Then of course there are the south Asian Jews, African Jews from Somalia and other African countries.

Jews cannot actually be described as a race because in fact they cover a wide spectrum of peoples according to where they were born.

Israel was mean`t to be a sanctuary for the Jews regardless of race, but it seems this does not work in practice. Multi cultural and multi racial societies rarely work. There is no such thing as what the Americans describe as the melting pot and Israel is no exception to the rule.

This is peanuts.

For 1 million baht the monks could issue a heaven elite card, that would entitle holders to discount cloud surfing, a one year supply of holy water, free membership for the Angels body to body massage clubs for he older clientèle staffed by the sisters of mercy, and 50% off fares travelling via the astral plane.

It would be a best seller,. Surprised they haven`t thought of this one yet.

My tip is, do not keep these lizards in confinement.

They not only require a specialised diet that they know were to find but also require certain areas were they can go to keep cool during hot temperatures and vice versa during cold temperatures. Plus they need to eat grit as a means of digesting their food and so on. These lizards are also very territorial and keeping more than one in a limited space will result in fighting and injuries.

Don`t do it, bad idea.

If the OP`s coins were of any value, than he has probably wiped off their value by cleaning them.

Valuable coins, meaning those of interest to collectors have to be cleaned by experts. Never clean collectable coins, is what they say in the trade.

May I ask, was this for a visa extension based on retirement or married to a Thai wife?

The reason I ask is, that I am on a retirement visa and never been asked for a photo of my wife and I at home or my home.

It's really irritating that people ask others to do things for them when they can't even be bothered reading what is written themselves.

Read the first post and the info you seek is there in B&W!!

Yes you`re right. Silly old me.

May I ask, was this for a visa extension based on retirement or married to a Thai wife?

The reason I ask is, that I am on a retirement visa and never been asked for a photo of my wife and I at home or my home.

This is an April fools joke, right?