Bangkokhatter

13 minutes ago, robblok said:

I live in BKK the people i see without a mask are usually low so foreigners and Thais. The MC taxis often have their mask off when sitting down. Foreigners i see a lot just walking without masks. Normal Thais (bit more educated more money) do wear masks.

 

Its just the lower educated idiots (i understand it for MC drivers out all day but not for foreigners who just need to walk a bit) who are without masks.

 

At least that is what i see in BKK may vary per province.

Not sure i have seen so much arrogance in a post before.....Low-so foreigners, lower educated idiots, you can tell all this by simply walking around ??

14 minutes ago, miamiman123 said:

Charged arrested and released??? Unbelievable 

What being charged before they were arrested ? and why would they not be released after being charged ?

I find the fact they were actually arrested unbelievable, as others have noted on this thread what law did they actually break ? Is acting a little foolish actually illegal now ? 

And just to add to all the confusion around the world regarding various Government Covid guidelines 50 police are gathered  to break up an apparently illegal gathering of 28 people.

Would it not have made much more sense (and probably safer) to send a couple of policeman round to just break up the gathering and ask everyone to go home ?

Poll title is a bit dramatic, Thailand does not need saving and if it did it would take more than a few retirees to do so.

Also tourists and retirees are different and require different immigration policies.

Current tourist issues are all down to Covid nothing else, despite the decline in Western tourism

Being married and working here i would welcome any about turn on property laws and admit the immigration can be a pain for some, but i think we all know his is not going to happen.

Thanks for all of your replies, will look into the software mentioned.

This is not the first issue i have had with posting my return and i always in the past used registered EMS mail.

100 quid fine as well, plus an issue with unpaid council tax whilst i had my place renovated and another fine coming it's not been a good month.

I am still required to fill out the self assessment tax return every year, due in part to still having a property there.

Usually i would print out the required forms and then post them back to UK, however as i have just found out postal service back to UK last year was not the best and i now face a fine for not sending the form back in time.

So finally set up a personal tax account online and discover how easy it is to do, apart from the requirement of the SA109 form which enables you to claim non-resident for tax purposes. This is not part of the main tax return form and from what i can see on the HMRC site i may need to download some extra software to do this,  actually am not really sure why ?

So anyone have any experience of software to use and how you actually attach this extra form to the tax return ?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Some call it Thai time like it's a perfectly reasonable excuse, what nonsense, it's disrespectful.

I won't accept a tradesman arriving late unless there is a phone call or i am home anyway, however he certainly would not get a tip.

At work i won't accept it either and i started to leave meetings or inform the tardy ones to leave if people were more than 15 minutes late without contacting someone first. Being late to a meeting is disrespectful to all others who managed to attend on time.

Now it's very rare colleagues are late for meetings and if they are, they always inform first.

Am going through this now in Samutprakan, what a pain in the butt.

The wife checked with the Amphur what documents were needed so off i went into BKK, all sorted and then translated and certified by MFA.

Submit documents and lady says they have to send them to MFA to be checked, you can't make this nonsense up can you.

Anyway deep breath, leave and wait for the call. Am sure it will be worth it ????

Their Head office is just off Sukhumvit, just before On Nut if your heading into town i think.

It has a showroom they should be able to sort you out.

2 hours ago, Neeranam said:

He suggested 2", I said 1/2". He said the wind would knock it down, compromised on 1" but I never thought it would look like that. I bought some more shera wood(3") and am putting it on the other side.

Fair enough, although personally i would buy the same size to put on the other side, but staggered, will look much better i think, but obviously cost a bit more.

I don' see any problem with the gaps, they look evenly spaced and this is the recognised style of mounting Shera boards to make a fence.

If you wanted more privacy you should have told your builder and he could have made the gaps smaller, but your frame would have been too high.

Hope the wall is strong enough.

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Playing in the afternoon would be a lot quieter, so based on that you could pick any courses. Phoenix, Pattaya Country Club, Siam Country Club are the nearest to Pattaya, Green Valley one of my faves a bit further out and further still Khoa Kheow or Pattavia would be my choice. All more expensive at the weekend. 

 

Or

 

Just head to Pratumnak Soi 4 Asia Pattaya Hotel, a 9 hole par 3 course circ 450 baht, will be quiet in the afternoon, very good for short game practice, holes are 80-130 yards. Can practice your swing here

Never heard of that par 3 course, seems perfect for the Saturday, then play a proper course on the Monday.

Thanks for the tip.

6 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

You need to pick a very quiet course or play early, otherwise if you're hacking around other golfers won't be patient. Weekend maybe busy, most farang avoid. Maybe try a new course like Chee Chan Golf resort

Thanks for your reply.

Exactly why i was after recommendations, planned on playing late afternoon as many would avoid the heat. 

Not too fussed about other golfers as i would simply let them play through.

Am looking to play a couple of rounds this Saturday and Monday and looking for suggestions in the Pattaya area.

However i would prefer to play alone so want a course where this is not a problem( no problem with using a caddy ). In Bangkok they tend to try and make you join another group.

Reason for the solitary wish is i am in the middle of some professional lessons and just want a break from the range and want to practice my swing changes on a real course. Of course a weekend away in Pattaya is also a bonus.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

1 hour ago, Titan1962 said:

If I had that sort of money to invest every month I would be putting about 50% of it into Bitcoin or ETH.

Not sure what returns you got on your last investments,but if your into holding for a long period of time it might be worth a look. Bitcoin was about $9 back then,it’s currently sitting at just over $16,000. So that’s not a bad return on your initial investment in anyone’s terms. 
Crypto currency’s are becoming more and more accepted as an investment or a opportunity to make money. Companies like Fidelity,grayscale,PayPal ,JP Morgan are now all involved in the space. 
Eventually you will be able to spend crypto like you do cash at most shops,using your mobile or tap and go card. It’s not for everyone as you need to do some research on how to buy and store your crypto in a hardware wallet like a ledger nano s. It’s a very volatile market and can have huge price swings. 
But in your case these price movements would not affect you if your in it for the long haul. Most people lose money day trading and trying to make a few dollars on the swings. A lot of people I assume buy in and then see a crash,thinking it’s going to zero the bail out. Lose money,then the price rebounds and buy back in at a higher price than they initially bought in at. 
It’s not everyone’s cup of tea and that’s ok,some prefer precious metals and stocks etc. 

But it might be worth a look.

Happy investing.

Thanks for your reply.

A friend of mine told me about Bitcoin a few years back but i just did not understand it and a few years later am still in the same boat.

To be honest i have a very basic knowledge of investing which is why i tend to go for safe products with modest returns, though one of my LTF's was around 9% pre-Covid which i thought was good. 

Another problem is boredom, i just don't have the inclination or time for that matter to actually do the research required to make a success of something like Bitcoin.

Probably why i will still be working in my sixties.

2 hours ago, jojothai said:

SSFs were announced as replacement at the  end of last year. Extract from an online article as follows.
Are they what you say are locked in for 10 years? It didnt say that on articles that I read.

But dont the SSFs have tax benefits as stated?

From 2020 to 2024, super savings funds (SSFs) will substitute LTFs. Investments in SSF units are tax-deductible up to 30% of a buyer’s taxable income, but not more than 200,000 baht.

When combined with investments in other retirement funds such as RMFs, provident funds, Government Pension Fund, National Savings Fund or premiums for pension life insurance policies, the total must not exceed 500,000 baht a year.

Unlike LTFs, which are required to invest only in Thai stocks, SSFs may invest in all types of securities. No minimum purchase is set and investors are not required to buy units every year.

Thanks for your reply, i did ask at my local BBK branch who told me about the 10 year lock in and did not see any details of tax relief on the little brochure they gave me.

I will have to take a trip into the main branch in BKK they always seem to have a better understanding.

Thanks again for your advice.

8 hours ago, YT3k72Em said:

How do you mean you don't qualify for RMF?  Anyone is able to buy them.

I was told you had to be over 55 to invest in RMF, this was a few years back mind.