ZOVOX

If you want something pretty much risk free, open a multi-currency account and convert your cash into new zealand dollars - you'll get about 5 or 6% interest.

I've been looking fo a business to buy for sometime, and i was afraid the thai government would make changes like this. I'm lucky i didn't buy a business earlier. I was wondering if i can still buy business in wifes name and let her run it ?

Thanks for all the advice ! I had a 250w pump fitted, with a tank with 700 written on it (not sure what units it is), and it worked fantastic !! My water comes out like a water cannon, including the upstairs. The tank and pump cost me 12,000 baht, and the man fitted it for 1800 baht.

Is there a problem with the water supply in Thailand ?

I've just bought a new house and not getting water upstairs through mains supply, but ok downstairs - i think it's because the water pressure is too low.

Is this normal in Thailand ?

Is this why they sell water pumps in supermarkets here ?

Will the water pump fix my problem ?

Also, it is traditional for guests to bring cash gifts for the wedding couple in envelopes - this will cover most of the costs of the wedding reception...

Just curious to know, as my wedding will be very expensive (hundreds of Thai guests who I don't know...), does it make a difference as for the guests' cash gifts whether the groom is Thai or 'farang'??

As a farang, you'll probably get less because they assume you don't need the money. However, you should still get a tidy some; the amount given probably has more to do with the wealth of the giver. Also, nobody wants to be seen as a miser !

If you are having the party at home, then expect a lot of noise: although we had a hotel reception, in the morning, during the wedding ceremony, the speakers they had were bigger than the house !!

Outside bangkok, you can book a five star hotel reception for about 300 baht per person - expect to have about 200 people, because everybody will come and then some. The hotel will throw in a lot of extras for you, like flowers, soft drinks etc, so this will take care of most of the stuff you need. However, you'lll need to book a band and photographer - about 2-3000 baht each. also, alcohol you can buy yourself and bring to the reception and ask the staff to serve anyone who wants booze.

Also, it is traditional for guests to bring cash gifts for the wedding couple in envelopes - this will cover most of the costs of the wedding reception, so you can have a really good bash - GOOD LUCK !!

Thanks for all the private mail and e-mail messages of offers. I will look at each carefully, and if one takes my fancy, i'll e-mail you back.

If you are a native speaker and interested in Translation business, you may find this interesting. I am a Thai female working as a translator [95% English-Thai and 5% Thai-English] for 7-8 years and looking for a business partner to see the feasibility of my idea with full action plan in place. If you possess good writing skills, love to work with languages (English and a little bit of Thai), live in Bangkok or outer Bangkok area, like to explore a new idea and what the possibilities may be, are a decent farang, please send me an email saying anything about yourself to help me know you better and/or asking me what you may want to know about me and/or the business. The email can be as long as you want. After that we can discuss and see if we can work together as business partners. Here is my email address; [email protected] - Thank you

I live in Bangkok and i'm looking to invest some money in Thailand. 'PM' me your idea and, if i like it, i'm prepared to bankroll the business.

Does anyone know of any good investment opportunities in Thailand? I've looked at buying a small business, but most are very poor and too much hard work. I was thinking of something like a sleeping partnership or other non-active investments with a better return than with the banks.

My pick up insurance is due for renewal in a couple of months and i want to find another insurance company.

Does anybody know of a good one?

Don't forget. You have to renew insurance policies at the same time as renewing your tax. This was posted somewhere on the forum not so long ago.

Compulsory vehicle insurance

BANGKOK: -- The government has announced that any vehicle without insurance will not be allowed to re-register.

This policy came into effect on 1 September, and will be strictly enforced, the Director-General of the Department of Land Transport, Piyapan Champasut, told TNA.

The measure is aimed at increasing the level of compulsory vehicle insurance.

Only 67 percent of the country's 20 million registered vehicles have entered the compulsory insurance system.

More than 90 percent of passenger cars are covered by compulsory insurance, compared to 55 percent of registered motorcycles.

Anyone seeking to renew their vehicle registration must have a valid insurance policy to coincide with the whole of the registration period, otherwise their application for renewal will be rejected, Mr Piyapan said.

-- TNA 2004-09-04

if the government has a compulsory insurance scheme, do you HAVE to get additional insurance in Thailand ?

there's many new condo blocks built near the thonglor area. there many expats there and good shops for expats and near the bts.

60 DAYS TOURIST VISA GET 30 DAYS EXTENSION.

Extended my 60 days Tourist visa THIS month = 30 days extra for b 1.900 in Pattaya. So you get 1 months extension on your 60 days visa !

NON immigrant "O" Visa is (almost?) impossibel to get these days. Went to Malaysia - Thai Consulate in Khota Baru - THEY ONLY ISSUE 60 DAYS TOURIST Visa now, new head of staff ..... ( 2 ENTRY OK ) (NO MULTIPLE).

Khota Baru have the previous 4 years always granted me a NON O Visa, even i am younger than 50,and single, but meet the b 800.000 criteria and can proof it.

Have also email many Embassy / Consulate, near Thailand. ALL answer the same : " we only issue Tourist Visa" (if not married, no company, ...........)

My older farang friends also ONLY get Tourist Visa these days. Something have shure happend, much stricter these days. I dont know about farangs married, my "post" is SOLELY for single farangs, without a "company" or a "work permit".

Wish people would stop write empty/not confirmed rumors here, check the fact yourself, before you "post" anything here.

You should never have been issued with a non immigrant visa in the past without meeting any of the criteria. did you have to pay somebody off ?

is there a dept at the postal service that translates thai addresses into english, or do i have to pay a translation bureau ?

also, what is the best telephone company to go with, and what are the call charges in thailand ?

nice to see some competition for sunbelt at www.bizxchange.com. just wondering if anybody has bought or sold a business there ? what was your experience ?

does anyone know where, or if, they sell the 'south china morning post' in thailand ? it's a hong kong newspaper.

you'll need to have the money transfered from your bank account back home. a large ammonut deposited in cash will also be considered suspicious - i know that currency conversions over a certain amount is reported to the authorities. i think they are worried about money laundering !!

Siam commercial bank (thonglor). no visa required. interest on account and atm/debit card - no questions asked !!

It is your embassy which accesses your eligibilty

Isn't the affirmation simpy so that your home government will prosecute you for a perjury-related offence if you lie?

Different country's embassies require different documentation before they issue the affirmation. The u.k embassy only ask for your passport and any divorce papers, and then you just sign the affirmation. With other embassies i heard that they do more rigourous checks and ask for proof of address back home. so the affirmation may have different purposes from country to country.

I noticed that they like japanese cars here, and not the usual brands and models in the u.k. anybody recommend a good reliable motor for about 300k ?

I am bi-lingual and so are most of my friends are the same. Children learn languages very quickly, so do as suggested: you speak to her in english and your wife speaks in thai. the problem will come later when she goes to school. if she goes to thai school, you will probably find that her written english will suffer, so will have to teach her at home.

Many of the thais ride motorbikes and drive cars without the proper paperwork, and it is common to pay the police off. But for thai people, it's usually 200 baht. I guess it's higher for farang, just like many other things!

All the thai authorities need to register your marriage is a translated affirmation from your embassy. An affirmation is a confirmation that you are eligible to marry. It is your embassy which accesses your eligibilty, and i'm sure that your embassy has norwegian speakers, so i'm pretty sure you do not need to translate your divorce certificate. To be sure, go your embassy in thailand's website and e-mail them to check.

The u.k embassy says that the transalted affirmation is enough in most cases, and no other documents are requires by the amphur offices.

I've had bank accounts all over the world, including u.k, u.s, offshore, swiss, hongkong and now thailand. whether it is best to convert before or after transferring money to thailand depends on which bank is involved - the best thing to do is to go to the banks website and get the tt transfer rates and work it out yourself !!

also, anybody having problems with opening a bank account in thailand, go to the siam commercial bank. I went to the branch in thonglor, bangkok and just handed over my passport and the account was opened no questions asked. the passport had no visa - tourists welcome !! they even gave me interest on my account, which i read somewhere that they were stopping, and they gave me an atm card with mastercard debit facilities on it - you never get one of those in the u.k without a good credit history !!

If you want to make money buying/selling currency, go to hong kong and open a powervantage multi-currency account !! The account is available in about 12 different currencies and you can do evrything over the internet. they also have all exchange rate info and offer good exchange rates and no charges. it's the best account i've ever had: you can also buy and sell stocks, have time deposits, and it has regular savings and current accounts sections as well. And you get interest on your foreign currency savings - i'm currently getting 5% on my new zealand dollars, so you are accrueing interest in between your currency exchanges.