khunPer

What is so "unbelievable"..?

Both Top's and Family Mart are owned by Central Group – probably more competitive as Top's than Family Mart, that is way smaller than CP Group's 7-Eleven and seemed to loose the battle on Koh Samui. Family Mart is a franchise from a Japanese company, just as 7-Eleven. Perhaps Central Group is terminating the franchise...????

151 seats out of 500 = 30.2%. 24,104,284 votes, as 14,438,851 party list = 38.01% and 9,665,433 constituency = 25.40%.

Worth to remember that MFP and Pita got around 30% of the votes, the majority of seats in the House of Representatives is made up by a coalition that don't agree in all MFP's politics.

You can avoid queue by doing your 90-days report online, it's easy...????

Thanks for your reply. No, I hardly go back to my cold native Scandinavian country. I have no family left there that I'm in contact with, but I have a lot of friends. Many of my friends began coming to Thailand after I moved out, so some of them I see more often now, than when we lived a few kilometers apart in my home-country. I even had a friend that I sometimes helped with computer-network in his business. One day he bought a new laptop and couldn't get it to connect to the Internet. I tried to explain the procedure detailed and made screen shots of it, but instead he answered me that he now had put the new laptop in a bag and bought a ticket to Thailand. Of course, settling in a holiday destination makes a difference; if I had chosen a remote village up in Nakhon Nowhere, my friends might not have passed by regularly. If nothing change so I have to leave Thailand for whatever reason, then I have no desire to go back to my home-country. My half Thai daughter is now in boarding high-school in my home country, so I have been back twice because of her within the last four years. Both to introduce her to also her half home-country, and to set her off at school. Then I of course also used the occasion to meet some of my friends; especially those that think Thailand is too far away or don't plan to vist Southeast Asia. If it hasn't been for my daughter going to school, I wouldn't have been back. Today it's quite easy to migrate and live abroad with Internet communication. I've tearlier been living half a year in Tunisia back in the late 1960s when it was snail mail, and a long-distance telephone connection preferably should be ordered a day before. Today you can easily keep your bank – even some business – in your home country and do litterally everything online via the Internet. Cheap or free video communication – not to forget social media as for example Facebook – also makes it easy to keep contact and follow friends and eventual family. I still follows the news from my home country, so in a way I don't feel far away – and reading the weather forecast from home especially makes me happy when living a place with all year summer and barefoot Xmas...????

It's depending on size and location. It has been mentioned before that the bottom line on a franchise is a rather small amount.

You seems to need to choose day-by-day in the drop down calendar. I don't know if there is any download possibility for the individual areas.

If you check the daily downpour stats, you will know...

A non-immigrant type OA-visa is excellent when you wish to spend longer time in Thailand. It's ME (multiple entry) and each time you enters, allows you one year's stay in the Kingdom. Another benefit with a non-OA is that you can keep your funds in your home country; i.e., no need to deposit in a Thai bank, or approval of monthly transfers. You need to prove health insurance when using the non-OA visa; however, a health insurance is always a good choice. If you at any point with to stay more permanently in Thailand, it will be better at that time to enter on a non-O visa, and based on that entry apply for yearly extensions of stay. To my knowledge you shall apply for a non-OA visa ion your home country. Today the process is electronic, so it should be fairly easy. Staying more than 180 days in Thailand will in principle make you income taxable, but a Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) will stop any extra taxation, as European countries normally tax higher than Thailand. As you are allowed to live tax-free from savings, it's normally nothing to worry about...????

I've been living here on retirement extension since 2006 – I made an early retirement when 57 year old – it's easy, if you just follow the rules and has enough fund to be self supported. You need 800k baht deposited in a That bank – preferably in a 12-month fixed account – as financial support for your permission to stay in Thailand as a retiree. Using the deposit method and just leave the money in a separate account makes it easy for both you and the immigration officer, and you can sleep nice in nights not having nightmare about funds for next annual extension of stay. Furthermore the fixed-account gives you a better interest, which you can withdraw once a year. You need a non immigrant type O-visa that gives you permission to stay in the country 90 days from arrival. About two weeks or one month before your stay expires, you can apply for a one year extension of stay based on retirement. There is a bit of paperwork – varies from province to province – but nothing you cannot do yourself. I live in the probably most demanding province for extension as retiree – Surat Thani, Koh Samui – and it's not that big a deal. To have a good life a retiree in Thailand the requested amount of income of 65k baht per month, or 800k baht per year, actually fit quite well. You can live for less money per month and you can easily also spend a lot more. Of course it depending of one's life-style and eventual family relation with a native; i.e. a Thai girlfriend or wife is not free, you are the provider, which can include part of an extended Thai family. I'm still happy here after 18 years – my first year here was with a 12-month multiple entry visa, as I still traveled a lot between my European home country and Land of Smiles – I have not regretted my decision of settle here...????

A con is that if Pita is elected as PM, the ganja shops might disappear again; i.e. become illegal. My personal view: Don't invest in that kind of business; there are already many, it require permissions and might not have the same attraction in the future, if still legal.

There is little more downpour on the mainland during the dry period than on Samui. It's due to the south-west monsoon... The closer to the west coat, the more rain during the summer...

A general good advice is: Don't get involved in any illegal drugs – or mingle with people that are using drugs – in Thailand, then you avoid a lot of problems...

Thanks for enlighten me...???? The important part – as I wrote in the comments – is that it's registered on the title deed, no matter what the correct juristic word for the said right is. I'm quite sure that the other readers understand, what I'm saying...????

I have full glass doors. Alu-frames are hollow profiles, so probably same or less heat transfer than uPVC doors with steel frame. I cannot see this as an important factor compared to heat transfer from cement posts and beams, which are used in typical Thai building construction rather than self bearing walls. More important will in my view be heat reflecting film on the glass, if it's exposed to sunlight.

The important part is that it's registered on the land's title deed as a "servitude", and the registered right therefore follows the land.

A very good both house building and general advice: "Keep it simple"...????

There are metal in the uPVC doors that rusts. It's very difficult to get them repaired, or even find spareparts. That's why I next time will choose good quality alu-doors from a local workshop, so they easily can be repaired or changed. I originally got quote for both, the price was almost the same. I've changed one door til aluminium after the uPVC door manufacturer couldn't repair the original door and even supplied a new door that didn't fit, even it was their own team that came and measured it up. And TIT, I of course had to pay for the brand new useless door – I however managed to get it resold for half price through the uPVC-door supplier building market – plus i also paid for a replacement alu-door...???? Another thing I realized is that if you have a set of sliding doors with a fixed window each side, you can still move the locked pair of sliding doors aside in front of the one of the windows. So, not much protection with a multi-lock frame and expensive German numbered high security keys that cannot – or hardly can – be copied in Thailand...

Most important would be that your wife makes a last will, as the husband otherwise might only eligible for inherit 50%, if there are other living relatives. Quote below is from the book "Thai Law for Foreigners", page 80... As a foreigner you cannot own land. In case on inherit you'll be given 12 month to sell the land. A servitude might be worth considering – could be usufruct or habitation right – so when the land is sold or transferred, you still have the right to live there. And yes, a foreigner can own a house, a superficies or similar servitude is needed. As suggested in a previous post, you can form a Thai company limited. You will need a partner or two, and can only hold 49% of the shares, but can however own preferred shares. Holding land for a foreigner within a company, the company should preferably have other activities than just being an empty shall for land ownership for a foreigner.

You might be sure, but you have no proof for your various statements, only your own speculations...???? My balcony railings are by the way 90 cm high on 2nd floor and 1 meter high on 3rd floor...

TIT... But my balconies are indeed safe...

Not easy to make it profitable. First of all you shall check what can be resold in the area, without reselling possibilities it's more difficult. 10 rai will most likely be hard work with (very) little profit. You won't get a regular monthly income. The best regular income is rubber trees – takes about 7 years before you can cut in them for rubber (latex) – but it's only income during the season where you can cut for latex. Renting out the land pays around 1,000 baht per rai per year – plus/minus – price range might be up to 2,000 baht per rai in some areas if the soil is good.

That's 192k baht for one year, 384k for two years; and 576k for three years, or another 192k baht in rent. You can buy low mileage second hand Ford Ecosports from around 300k baht, link HERE...

TIT, so what you can do in Australia doesn't help you here. You can contact the building-constructor and ask him to do the work properly. However, arguing with a Thai about bad work might not be an easy task, the Thai might risk to lose face. So, it might be much more easy just to hire someone else to screw in the missing screws. Next time, make sure to agree the work to be done in details and check it before the workers leave...