abrahamzvi

I don't really know what the premium charged by AXA and the scope and limits of cover offered by them locally, but my recommendation would be BUPA, for service and premiums and scope of cover.

I have BUPA high-end, and have never had any problems with a claim. All of the large hospitals deal directly with them, and I have never seen a single baht. AXA is also very big, but I have no idea about them. Years ago, I was with THI (Thai Health) which doesn't seem to have the same clout as an international.

Ideally, you should always go for the maximum. My BUPA is up to 2 million baht per illness, but some folk say it's not enough. A major stroke with aftercare, or a big car accident, can easily eat that away if you are in Bum or BNH.

Check the fine print with all policies, especially "emerald" or "silver" which will only part-pay some operations.

Out-Patient Visits are a swizz. Some people reduce their premium a lot by refusing OPD cover (like seeing a doctor in a clinic). My OPD cover of 35,000 has already blown in four months because of some special tests and scans. Some people prefer to pay to see a routine doctor as-and-when, because a quick trip for headache pills can cost less than 1,000b. However, I like the OPD part, so I keep it.

Eddy

I do the same for my wife and daughter. I still keep my overseas cover, which originally was effected with BUPA in the UK by my employers and I now keep it privately. I can really recommend BUPA both locally in Thailand and internationally in the UK, and this wholeheartedly!

"According to Mr Chakkrit Parapuntakul, ...... land prices going up 75-150% as compared to prices four years ago.

He said land price at Silom, particularly land close to the electric train route, rose to one million baht per square wah, from previous appraisal at 850,000 baht."

I wish people in charge of matters that require some calculations were proficient at basic maths.

850 000 rising to 1000 0000 is hardly 75 -150%

Seastallion, either intentionally, or you are not in a position to read properly, you omitted the words " in new economic zones and close to high speed train routes also doubled." If the former is correct, what you have done is evil misinformation. If you can't read or understand what you are reading, then be careful with your response!

Problem is you are judged on the product you produce, not the blah blah blah.

Outside (and to a degree inside) of Thailand a Thai degree is not worth the paper it is written on.

Both sentences in your response contradict each other.

I know plenty of Thais and foreigners with Thai degrees who've landed great jobs either here or in other parts of the world. With statements as 'worth the paper written on it', you are clearly missing the mark.

But you are completely right with the produce produced.

So do I!. However, the difficulties facing Thais with good Thai degrees, or even foreigners with Thai degrees, is that some organisations, like international schools and others shy the Thai degrees holders, possibly under pressure from their customers (in the case of schools the parents) and prefer foreign degrees , even if they are from dubious universities. Both my daughters attended international schools and I met there a number of Thai teachers, who had the greatest difficulties getting the positions, although they had excellent degrees from a reputable Thai university and the same applied to a reacher of Indian origin, with a British Passport who had a PhD from a Thai university and was paid a lower salary than an English teacher with a Bachelor degree from an American university. I believe this is the situation in a number of commercial enterprises and I am of the opinion that the sooner this situation is improved the better for all concerned.

A very simple question that I have to ask is, what happens to somebody who does not earn enough according to the Immigration regulations. Are poor people not entitled to a family life, a right which is enshrined in the Human Rights Convention? May I emphasise that fortunately, I am not affected by such inhuman regulations!

Yes, you are absolutely correct. This financial prejudice is in breach of the laws set out in Article 14 of the Human Rights Convention. This is something that UK lawyers have been challenging through the courts for some time, and something the European court is at loggerheads with the UK over. Because of this, many settlement visas have been on hold for more than 2 years, pending a review of the current UK law.

Unfortunately the UK is not the only EU countryn trying to impose such inhuman laws/regulations. Admittedly none are as strict and unflexible as the UK, but some are trying.....

To me the most important thing to take away from the article is how useless and corrupt the Thai lawyers and legal system is.

First he got screwed by his wife, then he got screwed by the lawyers and corrupt legal system.

And lets not even start on the moneylenders.

Thailand, corrupt to the core.

If it is so bad, with which I completely disagree, then why do you stay here, which I assume you do?

Just one correction that I know of, is the personal income tax rate in Germany. It is a progressive rate with a maximum of 42%, plus 5%, which is to expire in 2018( a loading to support German Unity dating back to 1992) . The 57% rate mentioned dates back to 2001 when the maximum rate was 52% plus the 5% mentioned above.

May I suggest that all the rates mentioned, which may or may not be outdated, be updates, to give the readers the correct information.

I have been using VOIPCHEAP for some years now. The quality is as good as Skype and to most countries in Europe and the US its free if you make payment of at least EURO10 every 3 month. One can use this amount to make calls to countries where it is not free.

People will do what is need to get along with in a particular culture

I remember being in a country i will not mention as not to insult the otherwise good people of that country, I would wait on the Que for the bus, and when the bus arrived everyone would rush the bush in a mad dash to get in,and not wait for their turn. I waited for my turn, and as a consequence I would either not get on the bus or not get a seat

Quickly I learned , and i rushed the bush too, I conformed to the culture.

you can not legislate morality, all you can do is create an environment where morality is culturally conducive because people will always take the path of list resistance.

I don't think the current government has done this

I don't quite agree. The evidence that your theory his not entirely correct is Singapore, where there is practically no corruption, although some 75% of the population are Chinese and to say that China has no corruption would be the joke of the year!

If you ask me why it is so, my answer would be that Singapore has been taking the correct measures against corruption, i.e. on the one hand the people of authority (including the lower echelon like traffic policeman) are well paid - the Prime Minister is the best paid politician in the - and on the other hand any corruption is investigated and harshly punished. Admittedly, it does take time, but in my personal view this is the only way to successfully fight corruption.

The argument against my theory would be that the countries on top of the list of countries without corruption are the Scandinavian countries and New Zealand, where people of authority earn normal salaries. Possibly, the answer is a combination of the two opposing theories , i.e. corruption is a cultural trait, but it can be successfully fought against by applying the right measures , considering any cultural traits.

I know all the above are only theories and I sincerely believe that the present Thai government is seriously trying to fight corruption. I just hope they find the right ways for being successful.

Carson is right but 7 years too late!

Can you be slightly more explicit in what you are saying. Not everybody understands your stupid undertone!

i have 11 degrees from Yale, 3 from Oxford, an honorary Knighthood by the Queen, and 102 Olympic gold medals.

Once I said 103, and they threatened to go to google....i knew that was too many

in your own country, do whatever you want....fraud is bad and i wouldn't want to work with a fraudster.

but here, leave it alone.

my 2 cents

I wouldn't want to work with a fraudster anywhere. However, as long as he/she doesn't harm my family or me, I don't really want to get involved. If he/she does, and unless he/she poses a danger to society as a whole (for example a fake medical practitioner certificate or the like), I would warn that person, before addressing the authorities. This refers to any country, my own, a country I may reside in, or just living there temporarily.

I believe off shore processing is a good idea because it's a deterrent to illegal immigrants ........ that's why less migrants are trying to get onto boats for Australia as they know they will end up in PNG.

I heard that the previous PM was working on a deal to increase / fill up the accommodation in Cambodia.

I know it cost alot but it stopped the boats coming which will have saved millions ........

Millions of what, Dollars or people? We are talking about human beings here running for their lives. Isn't Australia big and rich enough to give shelter and refuge to honest asylum seekers? We are not referring to economic refugees. As sorry as one can and should be for them, one can't expect Australia, to other countries to allow them illegal entry, but to genuine asylum seekers???

I would suggest you over paid for the property. Here in Bangkok you can get one with same square meter for the same or a little bigger

Sorry but I think you will have it a very long time

Where in Bangkok??? In a good area( Sukhumvit, Sathorn, even Silom), you would be lucky to get one this size for 5-6 Million THB!

Don't look for someone that needs your help. Look for someone that's going to help you

In some way, shape or form, it's usually only Thai women "needing help" that go with farangs.

I've met guys whose "ideal" Thai GF had debts. Try to guess what kind of (financial) help the girl wanted.

I've met guys whose "perfect" Thai GF was a middle-aged spinster approaching menopause. Try to guess what kind of (emotional) help the girl wanted.

I've met guys whose "different" Thai GF had a biological clock very near its expiry date. Try to guess what kind of (sexual) help the girl wanted.

What a disgraceful answer and attitude. I do know of a few Thai women who are with Farang men because they are fond of them, because they want to be together. It is absolutely awful to think about Thai ladies in this way. I really do hope Fabricus is not together with one...

How can Singapore be called a country, It is 40 miles wide by 20 miles across. It is a small island state. Singapore was built up almost completely by its trade in Heroin. It relies mainly on its shipping although more recently banking and financial services have become important. Successive Thai prime ministers have accepted huge "tips" for NOT building a canal across Thailand into The Andaman Sea. This would be the end of Singapore as a shipping centre. Corruption is rife in Singapore, but at a different level than countries like Thailand. Singapore has a population smaller than that of Bangkok. Singapore does not respect sanctions placed on countries such as Russia and Iran and therefore makes much money through the "back door". The Myanmar Junta when in full swing ran almost 100% of its moneys through Singapore banks and all Generals of the Myanmar Junta used Singapore hospitals. Many of their children went to Singapore universities and now live in Singapore. Corruption takes many forms. And good luck to them.....!

Bakseeda, you simply don't know what you are talking about! Where did you get all this "information" from? Nonsensical lies!!!!!!!

I don't see how you can complain that it became too difficult to have foreigners working illegally. They were illegal. It is supposed to be difficult.

If everything you say is true, this was a substantial business, that should have been able to get work permits for 6 foreigners with special skills, such as speaking E. European languages. Perhaps you were not keen on paying Thai tax. It would make more sense, if you said you were trying to run the business legally but encountered official roadblocks but it sounds like you didn't even try.

I didn't start this post to discuss if my business was legal or no, I started it to refute the claims of some TVs members who thinks that back to back visa runners are useless to the economy this post was started to show what impact it does to the local economy.

when i decided to sell all my SET and move out of Thailand I was astonished to see more then 20 foreign customers who all wanted to sell their SET stocks and they were a rush to all out everything, months later the whole SET went down and the baht sank to its lowest level so I reckon that entrepreneurs like me do have a huge impact here whether legal or no.

I really do not know what business the OP was/is in, but he most certainly knows nothing about international economics. If currencies drop in value against the US $ because expatriate are leaving due to difficulties like his, them most of the Far East, including such countries like, Philippines, Malasia, Singapur, China and Indonesia, must be experiencing such exodus, as all their currencies have been dropping against the Dollar recently. Even the EU must be experiencing the same "difficulties" considering the fact that for the last 3 years the EURO has dropped by around 35% against the US$....

Although it sound as if immigrants have already pretty much destroyed Ireland, are there no better choices? A deserted Island or two in the Pacific somewhere would be a much better choice and would also create a natural barrier to keep them put.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A REFUGEE YOURSELF? I ASSUME NOT, OTHERWISE YOU WOULDN'T BE SO HEARTLESS.

Congratulations to the security staff of the BTS. It's good to know that one can rely on them

EVERYONE who backs that stupid deal should be ridiculed. It is the worst deal since the Munich Agreement. There is no reason to single Jews out.

Youd be hard-pressed to find any sort of parallel in the six-party talks with Iran. Name one.

Not hard at all. Both contemporary Iran and Nazi Germany are fascistic regimes, headed by anti-Semitic and anti-democratic leaders. Much like pre-war Germany, Iran has continued to position itself for regional territorial gains throughout the Middle-East. Iran wants power, control, land, and influence and the easiest path to an empire these days is through nuclear technology. Like the Munich Agreement, this is another bad deal with another bad regime

Yours is a heavily skewed view of what has been recently achieved, as was previously stated this was not an agreement to change the administration or it views, it was an agreement to remove the possibility of Iran manufacturing nuclear weapons. That being the end result means this will be an effective and durable agreement, something that will be good for the whole region and to a lesser extent the world.

Yes the present ruling body in Tehran is far from perfect, it is based on an extremist and dangerous fundamentalist doctrine which we must all be careful with, but it is also a country with many millions of inhabitants who are developing a social awareness.

The Arab Spring may have faltered but it has not disappeared entirely, the ruling Iranian administration may (for the present) be all powerful but it will not be immune forever to the aspirations and ambitions of it's people. It is for this reason (IMHO) that the Iranian government had to move forward and walk away from it's previous position on nuclear weapons.

This was an opportunity that could not be missed and the US were perfectly correct in persevering towards a settlement, the Iranian government were under immense pressure to remove the sanctions. In a region that has been strife torn and scarred for generations there have been very few win/win situations, this I believe was one of those few.

Netanyahu and his fellow hawks (both at home and in the US) should be ignored, they are the other side of the political coin as their preferred course of action would be to bomb the reactors and plunge the region into chaos. Their's is a view too extreme to countenance or consider, their intractable stance regarding the West Bank and the Palestinian people is isolating them more and more each year.

Only when Tel Aviv see's some return of reason and moderation (as I hope has been the case in Tehran) will they have a place at the world table...

Not only correct, but also extremely well said. Thank you!

Thank god that Obama have the European leadership behind him. This is nothing he have done alone. It may be a bad idea, we have to see when U.S. Gets a republican war president next election and they start a new useless war this time with Iran. Let's see how many European countries will back that war. In 6-10 years we will know if this agreement was good or the solution with war will be better for the Jews.

I agree with what you say, but I would prefer to replace the word "Jews" by the words "Israel and the USA"

Thank God Almighty that Obamas reign of terror will soon be over ... Bring in the King.. Donald(where's yoor troosers) Trump. White, blond haired, blue eyed Presbyterian boy.... And his mom from Stornaway... Wee Free comes to mind....

Reign of terror? which terror?????

EVERYONE who backs that stupid deal should be ridiculed. It is the worst deal since the Munich Agreement. There is no reason to single Jews out.

Youd be hard-pressed to find any sort of parallel in the six-party talks with Iran. Name one.

Not hard at all. Both contemporary Iran and Nazi Germany are fascistic regimes, headed by anti-Semitic and anti-democratic leaders. Much like pre-war Germany, Iran has continued to position itself for regional territorial gains throughout the Middle-East. Iran wants power, control, land, and influence and the easiest path to an empire these days is through nuclear technology. Like the Munich Agreement, this is another bad deal with another bad regime

Whilst I agree with the first two sentences of your comments, I would like to point out that the sanctions about which the 5 years negotiations were all about, and the lifting thereof,that are the subject of the Agreement, were solely about Iran developing nuclear arms and not about the character of Iran and its harmful and evil attitude and activities. The agreement sees to it that at least for the next 15 years, this would be impossible for Iran and proper controls were built in the agreement. If Iran breaks the terms of the agreement, sanctions can be effected immediately. Thai is why I say this is a fair agreement, the best that can be achieved under the circumstances. In view of what you correctly point out in the first two sentences, it is a very important agreement and in the interests of the USA and Israel.

You've been bribing her for years now, sorry meant to say supporting, so there is no way she will let you go, for any reason or circumstances.

Good for you to put your foot down.

You are the provider, you call the shots

What an awful attitude. We do live in the 21st century where women are equal to men. What do you mean by saying "put your foot down" ? Many men do have their superstitions and there are quite a few religious people, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists etc. Do you want to tell all of them what to believe in and what not too. Just because you are the man would you forbid your wife to attend church, to cross herself on certain occasions, or to eat only Kosher (or Halal) food, just because you "are the provider"?

I really don't envy your wife!!

As far as an answer to the OP, why not buy her a bunch of nice flowers and just say "Sorry and I....

You can operate more than 1 account if you have more than 1 email address. Don't know about paypal linked to Thai account.

Quite frankly, why have two accounts. I have one Paypal account linked to various credit cards, such as Master card on my New York bank account, Visa on my German bank account and again another Visa connected to Bangkok Bank in Thailand. Depending what currency I pay in I can choose the credit card.