abrahamzvi

Thank you to all for your kind advices, it looks as though Dr Anna at BPH is the most sensible considering its only down the road from me and not only recommended by Sheryl but the Doctor is well rated in previous threads on the subject.

Bangkok is just to impractical for me at the moment

Skintish is a good word Stoneyboy for my financial position, short of brass, moolah, money honey!

Not skint as in pennyless as have building assets but they were/are for my Mrs when I and the the pension runs out so whilst we have "assets" I dont really want to sell them to pay for treatment at Hospitals in Thailand whom I have been known to utter now and again "only diagnose for profit" hence my OP asking about good clinics ETC

Thank you, I like your Skintish word, it also applies to me, due to my desire to protect as much as possible of my assets for my Thai wife who loves and looks after me so well, I will be able to pay for treatment but it will eat into the pot designated for her when I am gone

I am on a prostrate cancer warning,PSA 13.1last week I am awaiting retesting next week after course of antibodies, I am 70 and live in KhonKaen, I may have to go to Bang Kok for treatment, and any input on good hospitals at sensible rates able to deal with this would be appreciated

toa1007; I have been treated for prostate cancer in Bangkok, Bangkok hospital, with radiation, which proved extremely successful and was not painful. However, it was rather expensive (nearly Bht500,000). Although I don't live in Khon Kaen, I do know it and I believe that one is able to get a very decent treatment at Khon Kaen Ram. I would suggest you see there Dr. kachit who will advise you further. Why not try, before you do anything else. Best of luck!!

Thank you to all for your kind advices, it looks as though Dr Anna at BPH is the most sensible considering its only down the road from me and not only recommended by Sheryl but the Doctor is well rated in previous threads on the subject.

Bangkok is just to impractical for me at the moment

Skintish is a good word Stoneyboy for my financial position, short of brass, moolah, money honey!

Not skint as in pennyless as have building assets but they were/are for my Mrs when I and the the pension runs out so whilst we have "assets" I dont really want to sell them to pay for treatment at Hospitals in Thailand whom I have been known to utter now and again "only diagnose for profit" hence my OP asking about good clinics ETC

Thank you, I like your Skintish word, it also applies to me, due to my desire to protect as much as possible of my assets for my Thai wife who loves and looks after me so well, I will be able to pay for treatment but it will eat into the pot designated for her when I am gone

I am on a prostrate cancer warning,PSA 13.1last week I am awaiting retesting next week after course of antibodies, I am 70 and live in KhonKaen, I may have to go to Bang Kok for treatment, and any input on good hospitals at sensible rates able to deal with this would be appreciated

Indeed it appears you have been downgraded and now connecting at a speed your line can support. I would call 3BB and advise them of this and that you should now be billed for service being provided. It appears you do not have any contract requirements to continue paying for something that is not being provided if you have had service for a number of years.

You are absoutely correct lopburi. I am sure that 3BB will understrand and arrange for the proper charge.

May I use this opportunity to pay compliments to 3BB for the absolutely excellent service they are providing. I have lived in m,any countries, some with all the latest internet developments, but have never enjoyed a service like the one provided by 3BB. A recent example; I live in one of the suburbs of Chiang Mai and I phoned the call center of 3BB reporting a disturbance at 10:30 yesterday. About an hour later I was phoned by the center in Chiang Mai, asking for exact details of the problem. At about 15:00 hrs. two technicians arrived at my house and worked for about half an hour and fixed the problem. Some 20 minutes later I was phoned by the center in Chiang Mai asking is everything was sorted out to my satisfaction. I, of course, confirmed and expressed my appreciation and thanks!

OP seems to be a newly found Thailand-romantic,,, who havent seen the light of day yet. Wait Sir, your time will come. Your eyes will be opened, and your view of Thailand maybe will adjust to a reality where the rest of us must live in....

As Lopburi 3 says...... People complain and very often there is a reason for it..

Glegolo

Maybe you are correct sir, I have only been here eight plus years, time will tell, interesting you say where the rest of us must live, as if it is onerous, and if that is the case maybe should consider returning to ones home land

I am lucky all my 70plus years of life I have been happy and enjoyed where i lived, be it Manhattan, down town Kingston Jamaica, United Kingdom , on the borders of Gaza, with rockets on a daily basis, or Southern NewZealand, maybe my expectations are lower than most peoples, but it gives me contentment

You are also correct many people who complain have a valid reason, and without them voicing opinions things would not improve

Of course there are things to complain about, but you are absolutely right. There is no absolutely perfect place in this world. All countries have their just or unjust rules and regulations, by which we all have to abide. If we dislike such rules, or feel we can't cope, we should simply either look for another country, or go home, if we are able to. I have been living here for over 10 years, no complaints, no troubles wit immigration or police. I simply comply with the laws and regulations and live peacefully.

I am not sure what you have done or what you have written here above... But I take a chance that the text I highlighted in dark, is the one written by you. The "going home brigad" is here again. I can tell you that there is a third choice to be done, and that is to complain over the stuff we dont like...

Why just put my legs on my back and rush home, as soon as things starts to get tough.... Fight it and complain at least... AND if your own strategy is to hold your mouth shut, lookng down, and back off every situation.. plse do it with a smile, than I can at least mistake you for a thai person.

Glegolo

You are correct Glegolo. the text highlighted in dark is written by me. If you read my text carefully, all I have said is, that obviously there are things to complain about, but always remember that there is no perfect place in this world. I have lived in many countries, developed and underdeveloped and in every place there are things to complain about, some can be changed and some can't. However, the laws and regulations, just or unjust, can only be altered by the people of the country in question and not by guests, short term or permanent ones. We, as guests can complain, but we just have to accept the rules and regulations, whether we like them or nor, and IF we can't, or don't wish to' move away. Tell me, if you invite me to stay in your house for a while and I don't like your wife, or the way the house is furnished, or the fact that the garden is not big enough, What can I do? I can complain once or twice, or move away before I am thrown out by you. I either accept your house,the way it is run, live by the regulations that you and your wife have set, or get out, or be thrown out. A country is very similar to a house where you are a guest. I like my wine, but if I live in Saudi Arabia, or Kuwait, I do know that I can't have it in public. I either accept it, or move away. If one wants to live peacefully and be content, one has to follow these rules, as simple as that.

It was paradise on Earth. Sorry you missed it, son.

This may be a view held by some, but I entirely disagree. I have known Thailand for at least 25-27 years and compared to what it was then - A paradise???- it's a much better, albeit more expensive and western, place than then. I most certainly prefer it as it is now.

OP seems to be a newly found Thailand-romantic,,, who havent seen the light of day yet. Wait Sir, your time will come. Your eyes will be opened, and your view of Thailand maybe will adjust to a reality where the rest of us must live in....

As Lopburi 3 says...... People complain and very often there is a reason for it..

Glegolo

Maybe you are correct sir, I have only been here eight plus years, time will tell, interesting you say where the rest of us must live, as if it is onerous, and if that is the case maybe should consider returning to ones home land

I am lucky all my 70plus years of life I have been happy and enjoyed where i lived, be it Manhattan, down town Kingston Jamaica, United Kingdom , on the borders of Gaza, with rockets on a daily basis, or Southern NewZealand, maybe my expectations are lower than most peoples, but it gives me contentment

You are also correct many people who complain have a valid reason, and without them voicing opinions things would not improve

Of course there are things to complain about, but you are absolutely right. There is no absolutely perfect place in this world. All countries have their just or unjust rules and regulations, by which we all have to abide. If we dislike such rules, or feel we can't cope, we should simply either look for another country, or go home, if we are able to. I have been living here for over 10 years, no complaints, no troubles wit immigration or police. I simply comply with the laws and regulations and live peacefully.

The Andaman Clinic in Chalong will be able to provide you with home nursing assistance. They are on the Chao Fa East Road about 200 meters past the Chalong Police Station on the right hand side next to the THMB Bank beside 'Beautyland' and the large pet store cat hospital.towards town. Hope this helps.

I can't speak for Phuket, but I do know that there is a care home for elderly, mostly expatriate in Chiang Mai. I have never seen it, but heard form friends that it is very comfortable, the people are well looked after, but it is not cheap. If your friend is prepare to move to Chiang Mai and can afford it, it may be the right solution. Other than that, a proper nurse on a 12 hours basis would be OK.

I have never been to Spain, but I would imagine anyone retiring there would have to be rich.

Thailand must be a lot less expensive, and is nowhere near as crime infested as some would have you believe.

For the average working class UK person, Thailand has to win hands down. This is only my personal opinion.

Join the club!!!!! And I do know Spain!

So he will stay in Thailand to be with his daughter who is so special etc etc , even if he loses his job blah de blah... what about the son he would be leaving behind in Spain if he did that.... is he less important????

Why did nt they go to India again , where they obviously had had no previous problems ??

Maybe they are trying to put a globally collected family of kids together , as do The Pitt family. OOOh!!!! lets have one of each colour.

I am always surprised and astonished at observing how people like daw!!!60 are so cruel and without any feelings. I really pity such people.

Note: I am neither gay, nor have I ever used the services of a surrogate mother. I just feel for people in need and this particular couple does need any help they can get, but certainly not scorn!!!!!!

Preaching to the choir here. Welcome back! Hey where in Fl are you where there are 25 Thai restaurants? I own a few condos in Florida and get down there from time to time and always looking to keep the wife fed and happy!

Preaching to the Choir? I don't think anyone is preaching anything only telling my own story. Satellite Beach/Indian River Area. Don't worry about keeping your wife fed and happy. Thai food here is cooked for Americans and is horrible. Not even close to the food in Thailand. Better to cook and eat at home. Nothing worse than spending $50 dollars for Thai food for 2 that is horrible.

In NYC one can find one or two Thai restaurants where the food is really Thai and in the one on Broadway you can even get proper Issan food. My wife always says Arroy mag mag...

Pattaya must be the place, they are almost giving real estate away.

Try and look for a decent property, Condo, house or just land in and around Pattaya, and you'll be surprised at the prices. Not as high as Bangkok, but far from cheap or reasonable.

My girl friend is Thai and our son was born in Thailand, my signature was asked for at the hospital, i think that was to register the birth, we were then asked if the boy was to be Thai or British we said Thai, end of story.

He can be both Thai and British. All you have to do is have him registered at the British Embassy, assuming that you are noted as the father on the Birth Certificate.

No one can predict the future or future exchange rates. But I believe the Baht will continue to weaken as the Thai economy is flailing, GDP is down, and the Export figures are almost 4% below last year.

You may be right about the Baht (I doubt it - look at the high reserves of the BOT), but it will take a long time fot the EURO to recover. No way it will in the next 3-4 months. If anything it will drop to baht 35-36. Obviously, I hope I am wrong, but unfortunately, I doubt it.

The average Thai does not care a damn about this case and many will not even have heard of it s existence. They just happily carry on eating Somtam and watching soap operas, nothing else really matters.

bangkokrick,

I want to know where and how did you meet my wife?

If you think that poorly of your wife, how can you stay married to her? It must be quite boring. Isn't it??? I am married to a Thai lady and she is as interested in this case as I am. Just to show you and bangkokrick that generalizing is mostly wrong...

Would you be able to put it on credit card with 55 days free interest but make sure it is a refundable ticket ( usually more expensive) .

All LKK has to do is either phone Lufthansa and ask them to book and allow a 2 weeks time before ticket is issued or visit an office of Thai Airways and again ask them for the same. They would not do it over the telephone. Other than that visit a travel agent and ask for a booking, but no ticket issuing for 2-3 weeks. Some may ask for a small fee (BHT100-200).

If LKK is legally married (officially) then there should not be any difficulties in getting a visa for his wife. He should ask for a multiple entries visa valid for 2 years. He should get it.

So Greece is in dire straits because they can't borrow any more money. How often has the debt ceiling been raised in the US and other countries because they are basically bankrupt?

The USA did raise the debt ceiling a number of times, but the difference is that the USA is credit worthy and thus able to finance its debts on the international financial markets. Greece can't do so, as its credit score is practically NIL

Finally a civilized country , offers support & respect . That's how it is done .

And I sincerely hope that other European countries, including my own one, follow suit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

International school BA MA in Education 30-35K/mo

Not quite. In such good international schools as Prem, Payap and one or two others, the salaries for a really qualified teacher with a good degree in Education and/or English, are substantially higher. Why doesn't your sister apply to one of these schools?

If we could refer to the military junta as "government", the answer is that they will not be able to lead Thailand through the economic downturn, respectively the coming collapse of the monetary system without serious damage to the country, its people and the local economy.

Why? Because the time since the coup has shown that most actions and implemented changes were nothing but blind activism, ever more crackdowns, tighter rules and regulations plus tourist scares... i.e. the beach cleanups and "Your private umbrella and beach recliner is confiscated now, get off the beach before I arrest you, you stupid, money paying tourist, this is Thailand!" alike incidents that have caused outrage in western newspapers, causing a drop of up to 40% in western tourist numbers (insider info gained in a meeting of hoteliers in Phuket, and don't expect to read anything about that in Thai media).

Then there were reports of confiscated billions of Thai Baht during the crackdown on corruption (pessimists would say, a "reshuffle of wealth"), but not a single word was spoken about where this money and assets would be invested to improve the country's current situation. The junta and its leader were not able to bring peace to the south, nor were they able to bring true peace to the rest of the country. A proper and honorable government would implement changes that would bring happiness and satisfaction to the people, but not instruct people to be happy.

Yes, the ranting Suthep idiot and his cronies on stage are gone now, but under the surface the peoples' rage is still boiling, especially that of the hard working ones who face more restrictions, more crackdowns, more rules and regulations, increasing costs for living, food, rent, and healthcare, etc...

Show me anything positive, that the Thai man on the street could cling onto - any light at the end of the tunnel, any positive outlook that things are getting better, food cheaper, rental prices lower, so that less unfortunate Thais could live a life in dignity rather than finding comfort in alcohol and drugs (does one truly believe that the alcohol sales time restriction will change that?). There is no plan B for this current "government" letting alone they would have a plan A...

Then the "leader" says that he needs the input of the people to bring positive change to Thailand. Yeah right - and then if anyone speaks up, hush him down or retain him without trial for "attitude readjustment"... Right - kick anyone in the groins who dares to speak up. Laugh at the ones who try to give you ideas on what to change and the ones who try to tell you what the people truly think... Certainly this will change Thailand's future to the better...

So getting back to the question - all of the above combined with the oh, so typical Thai "we are the greatest people on earth and don't you white skinned idiots try to tell us what's right and what wrong" attitude, we have the perfect ingedients for a super storm in case another disaster (i.e. global economy meltdown) hits. Anyone who believes otherwise is either a hopeless dreamer or blind and deaf.

I may be a hopeless dreamer and possibly blind and deaf, but I really believe that Thailand is going in the right direction and it will weather financial difficulties and even a meltdown., Of course not everything is perfect, but the overall developments are very positive and promising.

Casinos take money from the poor and uneducated. It's the right decision.

Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister for your absolutely correct decision. Thank you Khun Abbisit for your honest and right advice. For the sake of the Thai people and society, please stick by your wise decision.

Huckabee, like all the republican candidates is pretty much a complete moron as are his religious views moronic. The confederate flag is totally racist and has no positive place in any country.

I am wondering what the "moderate and liberal" Jeb Bush is going to say on this subject. I entirely agree that the confederate flag represents racism inits ugliest form.

We live on $17k a year, 3 adults, 2 children. (That includes my wife's home loan repayments)

Same quality of life as I lived in the UK, but with better weather and a younger wife.

@Lowries

Not much scuba diving in Chiang Mai.

@Masuk

I thought ebooks were free!

I wonder how you manage. I personally do not have a trainer, nor do I do any scuba . Yes, my wife and I spend some money on luxuries and our daughter at university costs us some Baht 25K a month (some$800). However, we need altogether some $5,000 a month, excluding overseas trips. We very rarely shop at Rim Ping or Tops and don't frequent expensive restaurants too often. Yes, we do have two cars but not a Mercedes, BMW or Audi. With a child in an international good school and a comfortable style of life, I would estimate that one needs some $§5,000 a months plus/minus, excluding housing.

Obviously we shall have to wait and see how this progresses but it would seem to be an excellent development, hopefully this investigation will be expedited and the Vard family will receive some form of compensation.

They may not receive all of their money back but I am sure any compensation will be better than what they have now.

An added bonus will be that it might shut up the habitual and cynical contributors we see all too often on TVF, there are legitimate and rewarding business deals done every day in Thailand so I can safely say it i not a "100% corrupt country"

I don't think I have to quote cases when I say that there is corruption outside of Thailand, Thailand may have it's fair share of con men and scammers but it is not alone in the world when it comes to financial crime...

Only one name outside Thailand springs to mind - FIFA

Should have read "only one name out of many outside Thailand that springs to mind - FIFA"

Obviously we shall have to wait and see how this progresses but it would seem to be an excellent development, hopefully this investigation will be expedited and the Vard family will receive some form of compensation.

They may not receive all of their money back but I am sure any compensation will be better than what they have now.

An added bonus will be that it might shut up the habitual and cynical contributors we see all too often on TVF, there are legitimate and rewarding business deals done every day in Thailand so I can safely say it i not a "100% corrupt country"

I don't think I have to quote cases when I say that there is corruption outside of Thailand, Thailand may have it's fair share of con men and scammers but it is not alone in the world when it comes to financial crime...

Only one name outside Thailand springs to mind - FIFA

Foreigners are not normally allowed to be registered as a part owner of a hospitality business at all. Remember that in most instances, you can only own 49% of a business in Thailand anyway.

By hospitality, I mean hotels, or the sale of food and beverages as these activities are on list 3 of the restricted business activities under the Foreign Business Act 1999.

It is possible to be registered as a 49% owner of a hospitality business, but you need approval from the BOI. So in reality, that pretty much means no.

Hilton just opened a new hotel in Pattaya not long ago and Conrad Hilton is not Thai. I don't think Ronald McDonald is either.

If you read further, Section 1.2.1 states that a Foreigner can own a business in List 3 if he applies for a Foreign Business License first. So if you want to operate a Hotel you would need to apply and obtain a license before you could build, buy, or operate.

The success rate of obtaining this license I do not know. But what I do know as many Foreign Companies operating in Thailand under Foreign Ownership.

I can hardly comment about bars and restaurants owned/operated by non Thais, but as far as such hotels as Hilton, Conrad, Sheraton etc. are concerned, they are usually owned by Thais and operated under a management agreement with such international hotel operators as Hlton, Starwood group (sheraton) etc. As far as McDonalds are concerned, again they are fully owned by a Thai company and operated under licence by McDonald's international