KhunHeineken

True. Probably bought the land, and went off a balcony years ago.

Did you see the words "Australian product?" Why did you assume I was referring to beef???? I agreed with the member, then mentioned "Australian products" in general terms.

Will you be employed forever? What's the point about mentioning an expired passport? I believe the government stated 64 page passports were declining in demand because of eVisas etc. I think that's rubbish. Stamps at immigration fill up a 32 page passport very quickly if you travel around the region frequently, as I do. Not sure which political party stopped the 64 page passport. It's just another revenue raiser. There would be quite a few people needing a new passport every 3, 5, 7 years, rather than one every 10 years because it has 64 pages.

If it's a rather large inheritance, you will have to work out is it financially beneficial for you to re-establish Australian tax residency, or remain a non resident for tax purposes. The main things to consider will be the amount of inheritance, where and how that inheritance is invested and its return, the amount of salary you have in Thailand, and the 30% non resident tax, should that inheritance earn in Australia.

Cost of Australian Passports rising again on the 1st Jan 2026. https://au.news.yahoo.com/australian-passport-fee-set-to-rise-again-on-january-1-233120158.html

$1 Trillion in debt sometime next calendar year. That's about $50 Billion a year in interest. The debt and the interest keeps rising, with no end in sight.

Crime up nearly 11% in 2025. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-18/vic-crime-stats-victoria-machete-ban/106156470

Price going up again on the 1st Jan 2026. https://au.news.yahoo.com/australian-passport-fee-set-to-rise-again-on-january-1-233120158.html

I agree. Sometimes, you see an Australian product for sale below cost here. The reason is, they are trying to break into the market by tempting people to buy, and taking some market share from their competitors. Once popular, the price goes up.

I agree, but it's possible people do not need to "think" as much these days as in the past, because computers do all the thinking for them. Even the elderly, who grew up without computers, grew up with calculators. I can only see a significant rise in dementia in the following generations. Those people can not even reverse a car into a parking spot without the use of the vehicle's rear camera.

It's called "planned obsolescence" and it's a disgrace. Most companies do it these days. One of the worst ones is batteries of certain devices are now built in, and can not be changed without pulling the device apart. In the past, you could simply open the device up, and swap out the battery yourself. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence#:~:text=In economics and industrial design,certain predetermined period of time

Why do you think he would be able to medically retire because of this incident? It would be funny if that was you in the headlock looking up at the police officer, and he says, "I knocked off work 2 minutes ago" and walks off.

I agree. I warned members some time ago that eventually banks, insurance companies, government departments etc etc will all require 2FA (Two Factor Authentication) with an Australia mobile phone number registered to one's account. Aldi Mobile, who use the Telstra network, is good, at $15 a year to stay on the network. Get one posted over to you.

What would be the benefit of doing so, other than Medicare for a serious injury or illness, if you have no insurance here?

Don't do it. A lot can happen in 5 years, and the land can not / will not be in your name. Also, depending where the land is, the purchase price will earn more sitting in a bank than the land will appreciate in value.

Did the driver of the car get his gold necklace or wallet back?

There's more to this story. He's on the FBI's most wanted list and flies to a country that has facial recognition and fingerprinting on arrival, and who is friendly to The US. Really? If I was Edward Snowden I would be concerned. He may be the one The US is really after in this deal. Then again, he may be trying to defect, and this is just his cover. He could end up working for The US government. If that's the case, he will be under heavy surveillance so when Putin sends his assassins for him, they will grab them as well.

If one "crack" is good, foreigners tend to turn a blind eye to the other cracks, until they get stabbed.

Pattaya Beach, The Ganges of Thailand.

I think Mr. B will defecate also, after he gets the final cleaning bill.

As October 2025 got nearer, Windows 11 saw some uptake, then, Microsoft announced the Windows 10 ESU for another year, and what happened, a lot of people dumped Windows 11 and went back to Windows 10, at least for another year. Last I heard, between Windows 11 and Windows 10, around 52% of PC's were on Windows 11 and around 48% of PC's were on Windows 10. Microsoft has also been sued because with the advent of AI, they want all Windows users on a PC that can support their operating system's massive spyware. The legal case will be interesting. Of course Microsoft have deep pockets, but there may be an injunction that means Microsoft will have to support Windows 10 until the end of the court case, and if that's the case, I hope the plaintiff stalls and stalls. Another thing the court case does is airs Microsoft's dirty laundry in public. Documents will have a subpoena in order so they must be produced in court, and their true motives for rendering around 240 million PC's worldwide for incompatible hardware will be known, and it's not going to be a good look for the company.

How and when do you hope to realize a financial benefit? That's not the way it goes. The Thai girl gets the loan. The farang gives her money to pay the loan every month. You don't own the property, nor is it completely in her name. The bank owns it. If she dumps the farang, all he loses is around the cost of rent he would have to pay anyway, and she's left dealing with the bank over the loan. It simply keeps the Thai girl "honest" and no one has to go over a balcony. Pattaya, but many tourist places in Thailand are similar.

No, the smart ones live in Pattaya and the ones that can't see they are being ripped off live in Phuket. Eg. Pattaya baht buses v Phuket tuktuks.

And broken dreams.

So, you bought for sentimental reasons. I get that. At least you are not promoting it as an "investment" like another member constantly does, because it's simply not. I can understand guys basically getting a loan for a property, through their Thai girl's name, so they don't get screwed over. 15 years ago, those days are long gone. Too much oversupply here now, and they keep building.