Anon999

since when is Thailand a "developed" country... its still bahn nok as far as I'm concerned

Maybe you should go find yourself a 'developed country'.

i do not think a rise like that is good ! Inflation rampant, what going to happen next!

When inflation is rising banks always increase interest rates to curb it. Furthermore who wants to deposit money into savings accounts with interest rates at 0-0.75%?

Hmmm Thaksin is still there - so much for 5 March ultimatum. Have to say PM is a crafty bugger!

It's hard to demand an ultimatum when you don't have a reasonable rational alternative. A hope and a prayer that Thaksin will resign, isn't any kind of platform to run a country on. Thaksin knew that from the start.

Spot on, and is there the chance of a change or is it a dream? What would a change be, for better or for worse?[/font=Verdana]

30Bt health - well it could be better but it's just starting. Mother-in-law had a strange Septicemic disease went to the hospital in Phayao, they could not figure it out, transfered her to Chiang Rai and was in ICU for about 1 week while they figured out and tested her, they even transfered her in Chiang Rai to a private hospital for a day to do some tests. For her the system worked even though they had to pay extra for the private hospital visit and testing.

Perfection is never achieved and everything has to start somewhere.[/font=Verdana]

Derogatory comments about spelling and grammar earlier - We should all remember that some on this forum are not native to the English language and they should be encouraged to voice their opinion even if their English ain't that good sometimes.

Absolutely and let's not forget that some people suffer from dyslexia.[/font=Verdana]

Thaksin is still there because he is clever cookie. Had he used all of his inherent abilities for the benefit of Thailand he could have done great things and run the country for many years. With all his wealth he did not need to get involved in corruption and given time could have nailed the problem. However, history shows that many people with extreme wealth live on the adrenalin of making even more money and the temptation to do it by dubious methods is too great to resist. Shame really.

Anyway this story is going to run for a few weeks yet before the outcome is clear.

Oh yeah! Blair won because he made "promises" and he was charismatic. Then he employed unelected "spin doctors" like Alistair Campbell to lie 24/7. Your assessment is totally inaccurate unless you include the murder of a respected and honest Doctor who knew there were no WMSD in Iraq as acceptable behavior?

Suicide would be the proper terminology!!!

That was the term used by the government. However, Blair, Campbell, et al denials and their constant public harassment of him, to the point of a mental breakdown, caused his death. That was effectively murder. They did not want it to become public knowledge that he was RIGHT, they wanted to go to war in Iraq, come what may. Public harassment of dissenters of the goverment has been a enduring feature of the Blair regime for many years, with more than one death as a result.

Yes - People like active politicians who do things - do you remember Margaret Thatcher in the UK she moved UK to the Right by her bourgeios revolution which gave back wealth to the middle classes - she won three times. Recently Tony Blair has appealed because he too has moved the UK back the other way to a modern progressive consensus which is more humane on education and health. Tony has won three times. They are liked because they are strong and they lead from the front and they create change! They are not typical politicians.

Oh yeah! Blair won because he made "promises" and he was charismatic. Then he employed unelected "spin doctors" like Alistair Campbell to lie 24/7. Your assessment is totally inaccurate unless you include the murder of a respected and honest Doctor who knew there were no WMSD in Iraq as acceptable behavior?

Gentlemen,

For your benefit, please read the following;

To dispel a few myths, running extra electrical devices within your car will not have a bad effect upon your battery providing your alternator is not overloaded. Eg if you have a 35 amp alternator (standard for small cars) & your total load doers not exceed this value of current, your battery will be correctly & adequately charged. It's easy to tell if you have exceeded the output of the alternator - (do this test at night) start your car, turn on everything electrical & providing the headlights do not change in brightness too much when you rev the engine, everything should be ok. With a modern car, very little to no change would be expected under the above conditions. If, however, your alternator is overloaded (excluding possible electrical faults), then you would observe a noticable differnce in the brightness of the headlights between idle & above idle. If the lights dim noticably, it is likely that the voltage being supplied to the battery is a little low, thus not allowing full & proper charging of the battery.

Temperatures.

Most lead acid batteries have a max design charge/discharge temp of between 20 to 25 degrees celcius. If the ambient temps are higher, the battery will have a shortened life for given charge/discharge rates. Tropical conditions therefore, will have the effect of reducing battery life.

Battery size/type.

If the battery is too small for a given condition ie crank current, it is likely that the plates will bend & may even touch together, shorting out cells & therefore reducing the battery voltage. Also, the distance between the bottom of the plates & the bottom of the battery varies between each brand/type. As the battery discharges, lead oxide slowly falls off the plates & accumulates on the bottom of the battery. Eventually, the build up of lead oxide will reach the plates & short them out, resulting in a dead battery.

If you buy an over-sized battery, you may get a little longer life out of it but it will suffer a much more 'shallow' charge. This can be a problem when a large load is placed upon it as it may simply not perform. You see, lead acid cells have 'charge memory'. If it is discharged slowly, it will charge slowly & visa versa. If it is only ever slightly discharged, it is likely not to handle a large load (if it is old) but it will still work perfectly under low discharge currents.

Types.

Most automotive batteries are flat plate lead acid cells, with thicker plates for higher discharge rates & shock loads. Other types are tubular plate & Fibre cinter cell. These last 2 types are very expensive, have very long lives & are mainly used in commercial/industrial UPS or traction applications.

Care for your battery.

Every month, check the electrolyte level. Ensure that all the plates are covered by about 5mm of fluid. You should only top up the battery with distilled water. Tap water has too many impurities in it & will reduce the life/performance of the battery. Buy a Hydrometer & check the 'specific gravity' of the electrolyte. It should be between about 1.2 & 1.3 (1.25 is perfect). A low specific gravity can mean that you need to add acid (36% dilution of Sulphuric Acid). Add water if the SG is high.

In summary, buy the cheapest battery you can get because the weather conditions of Thailand will generally not allow you to get the true life/performance out of even the most expensive battery. BTW, humidity will not affect the battery. The average voltage to your battery as supplied by the alternator, should be between 13.5 & 16 volts but no less than 13.5 under any conditions (due to internal resistance, which increases with the battery's age). If the charge voltage is too high, check your vehicle's electrical system as this high voltage will 'cook' the battery (high charge current).

Your batteries have died a relatively natural death BUT, in order to help predetermine when this death takes place, one can conduct Specific Gravity tests (SG) on the electrolyte by using a very cheap thing called a Hydrometer. Also, annual load testing, which can be conducted at an automotive electrical establishment, can also help indicate the life of a battery.

In the old days, when batteries were "low tech", they failed much more slowly. Some may think that this is better as the belief is that you get some warning about the battery failure. In actual fact, this is not the case. The "old style" batteries failed very slowly & were still undetectable to most people. At least you are getting every cents worth out of your "modern" battery now.

In Japan cars are fitted with small batteries as standard, probably because cars are very cheap in Japan, and they do not tend to last too long. This is mainly due to the fact they are working near maximum capacity, that is amp/hours, therefore battery life is short. In the UK it is normal to fit a 60 amp/hr battery to a car with a 2 litre engine or to smaller engined high performance engined cars because the compression ratio in the engine is higher and therefore more energy is needed to spin the engine. This provides spare battery capacity so it is not fully loaded. However, another factor is a battery must have enough capacity to power the electronics and more importantly the ignition system which takes a LOT of current to produce a fat enough spark to start the engine. When the battery gets old it loses capacity and consequently may turn the engine over but does not possess enough energy to generate an ignition spark.

If you check the batteries on your cars they're probably 45 amp/hour capacity, hence short life. Another cause of battery failure is topping it up with anything other than distilled water. Letting a garage top it up is not such a good idea, they have been known to use tap water despite what it may say on the bottle!

Owning a hydrometer is a complete waste with modern batteries. The only thing that evaporates is the distilled water, not the sulphuric acid. Suggest buying a small multimeter is a much better solution as it only takes a minute to check the battery voltage and you'll know if it is getting low before failure occurs. However, even new batteries can have terminal failure occasionally.

I thought you were talking about small batteries.

I just got back from the store and bought batteries (they were still wrapped) for my wireless mouse, all turned out to be duds, all dead.

Panasonic Neo (black and white), CR@P!

I went back and got Panasonic Alkalines (gold-black-green), all fine.

Both made in Japan.

Like everything else batteries are copied by the unscrupulous so you probably picked up cheap copies.

It has FA to do with the Thaksin announcement

I'll second that and it's taking up pages of room.

Surgery has moved on a lot in 40 years and what is easily possible today was often difficult and expensive in the past. For instance laser surgery did not exist then and now it is more cost effective than conventional surgery and non invasive.

Maybe your mate should have kept up with developments or one of his friends should have on his behalf so that he could have had his sight restored sooner.

Taking the NHS to court for compensation may make him feel better and the compensation make life easier for him. However, it will also take money away from other people waiting for treatment or surgery. Is that a good idea?

Ultimately it is his decision but better taken after the anger has subsided.

If you intend to live in Thailand permanently then make sure you get a policy that gives 'Lifetime Cover' many stop at 80 or even earlier.

I have also found that generally having outpatient cover doubles the premium and you also get coverage for unwanted items like maternity. For a male or anyone over 50 that is an extra which you are paying for other members benefit.

I have a serious case of TMJ (ouch ) - have consulted with a TMJ expert outside BKK and was told that I need braces for 2 years and then a surgery to fix my jaw.

The question is : any of you have similar health problem or know somebody who has? If you do, who do you suggest to be the orthodentist and maxolofacial surgeon?

Please advice.

'fraid of locked jaw

rb3

Don't have that sort of problems with my teeth!

Try looking at Thai Clinic http://www.thaiclinic.com/clinic_e.html if you scroll down to Dentistry you'll find Orthodontists and Oral Surgery. Click on their names and send an email.

Best of luck

I've checked the Expacare premiums and nearly had a heart attack reading them! Very expensive for similar cover to what I've been quoted. However, UK based insurers seem to have high premiums. What's new there?

The maximum caps on their plan is much higher to almost unlimited on most of their benefits!! I am very paranoid about my health and just want to make sure that there are the right cover when i needed them most. Also travelling to part of Asia that has travel warning and other threat makes me feel very vulnerable, hence medical evacuation is a definate YES chosing this company. Eventhough I have to pay out of own pocket first, the reimbursement is always 100% so just treat it like depositing some money with them first. What are you comparing it with?? Maybe I should take another closer look at other plans... Thanks

rb3

Try comparing the benefits with http://www.premier-healthcare.org/ and then getting a quote. You can ask [email protected] they are brokers based in BKK so add 0.4% to the figures for tax plus 7% VAT. For me the premiums are well over double at Expacare. However, my quotes do not include cover for North America as it is not required. I'll be interested to see your response. Thanks.

So really we still have no agreement on where to go for insurance? I've another question, how do they handle dual-citizenship (USA+Thai)? Do I have a different set of options? Pardon if I'm a bit clueless re: health insurance, I'm in my mid-20's but need insurance nevertheless, just in case. And how do they know if you're a smoker or not, besides smelling it off your breath and clothes?

If you have an accident then it's likely you will have the smokers gear in your pockets and maybe nicotine stained fingers too. Should the insurers find out then they'll probably say it invalidates your cover and refuse to pay out.

The opposition parties are fragmented and wherever that happens they will never win an election against a strong government. There are many parties in the UK but only 2 ever govern the country.

Unless Thailand can form one strong opposition party TRT will win every election ad infinitum. How can the people possible vote TRT out of office if they cannot see how to do it. Protest votes are common enough but they are only effective when there is one obvious alternative and the opposition parties take the decision not to stand against each other. However, they have to decide which candidate and which constituency they each stand the best chance of winning. Some hopes!

The solution for the opposition would be to stand just one candidate against every TRT candidate in every constituency, then the voters would have a simple choice. The other benefit for them is they may get more MP's elected and also it would offer them the chance to use the contents of their election funds more effectively.

There seems no evidence at this time that they have considered this strategy.

A dream, a dream, nothing but a dream!

I'm re-posting here a question that arose in a general "Cost of living" thread - hoping that it'll get more specific attention.

Being 55, a single male and not looking for family cover puts me in the category where I can seriously consider opting for self-insurance - i.e. maintain a reserve to deal with the more likely general medical treatment I can reasonably expect to need. Obviously, I recognise that dealing with a very complex or catastrophic condition is a very different matter.

So far, my assumption has tended to be that I would get myself back to the UK and be able to use the state NHS (free) healthcare scheme for anything that major (for sure - not that simple in the event of a sudden, urgent emergency). In any case, it's looking more and more like I may be excluded from the NHS system after I am not resident in the UK for x number of years.

I'm interested to know if health insurance could be available to me in Thailand that would exclude the generally minor stuff which I would "cover" myself and would therefore be restricted to the major "catastrophic" (hopefully much less likely) stuff. Just about all of what I see when I research ways of limiting the premium cost seems to be structured around limiting the cover to minor treatments rather than excluding them. What I'm looking for is the opposite of that.

Does anyone know of schemes that can be tailor-made in this way and maybe which would exclude a pre-existing condition but, for example, still provide cover for treating severe injury or some serious new condition unrelated to a pre-existing one? I know that the premium can be reduced by accepting a very large excess but, taking the GoodHealth example, even accepting a $5,000 excess doesn't make much of a dent in the premium for cover that includes a chronic condition - yet the advertised cover still includes a lot of minor stuff that I don't want to cover and quite a few items that I don't need to cover (e.g. pregnancy!).

I'm in a similar boat to you and I'm getting quotes now with wildly differening premiums. There are definitely insurers that will provide tailored plans. However, you may find this list of interest which Bumrungrad International sent today.

Their email is: [email protected]

If you check my previous post it's worth contacting the 2 BKK based brokers.

I am using Expacare(http://www.apipacific.com) - their website is ######-ugly but the product is excellent.

I have done extensive research since I travel a lot to the US and many part of Asia (Bali, BKK, HKG, M'sia)

Their deductable is zero(they have some deductibles, but I advised against it - not worth it for 5% discount of the zero deductibles) and they cover most of procedures, almost the same with goodhealth but most procedures have NO CAPS. Most of the time patients have to pay first and then re-imburse, unless you called in advance for big operations. But they have worked out an agreement with Bumrungrad Hospital that when you go there and show your card, you don't have to pay out of pocket. The customer service speak perfect English also. It's great!

Most of the insurance provider for Expat requires you to pay first and then file for reimbursement, It takes about 3-6 weeks for reimbursement, they paid directly to your bank account.

I find their service most satisfactory - I have been with them for 3 years for now. It's great, I recommend it to everyone.

Prevention is the best medicine.

rb3

I've checked the Expacare premiums and nearly had a heart attack reading them! Very expensive for similar cover to what I've been quoted. However, UK based insurers seem to have high premiums. What's new there?

I am using Expacare - division of JLT in UK. Very satisfied with it. Here is the link if you want to get a quote http://www.apipacific.com

Prevention is the best medicine

I've checked the Expacare premiums and found them to be one of the most expensive, for similar cover. It appears the UK based companies tend have high premiums! What's new?

If you go to the other thread on this topic there's a lot more info. and links.

I am going to live in BKK for 2 years. In the first year, I just have tourist visa.

Can I get health insurance as a tourist?

Which one is the best so far?

Thanks for your help

Retriever

There is no simple answer. It depends on too many factors and I'm still getting quotes which vary so much it's ridiculous. However, the Bumrungrad International Hospital sent the attached list which may be of interest. Best of luck and don't forget to post your results.

Their email is: [email protected]

There is a well known saying about elections. The opposition doesn't win an election the government loses it because people are fed up with them or just want a change. However, if there is no credible opposition then the government will always prevail because the voters feel they have no other option than to stick with the devil they know.

wow anon that is some claim

I cannot dispute that Mr Berlusconi is a bit of a shady guy but I see no evidence of Mr Blair being corrupt and definitely not Mr Kinnock and his wife/family.

Sure, corruption goes on everywhere but to compare these people to the billions Mr Thaksin and his cronies are raping from their own countrymen is a bit much.

I am no fan of the people you have mentioned but the fact remains that if they DID things on Thaksins scale they would be in jail now for sure.

I also think you are missing the point about Marcos. He was evil and Thaksin is just a thief but they will both end up the same way - exciled but WITH their millions of dollars

Well as Blair lives on more freebies than I've ever heard of by an English PM, like holidays, flights and junkets, to which he returns the favour by awarding the 'suppliers' with places in the House of Lords or a Knighthood. Furthermore he provides jobs for cronies from his university days and people he shared accommodation with. His wife, a lawyer, used a known criminal to negotiate the purchase of property and uses her position to get on US TV chat shows and to give paid talks on the US circuit. Not to mention when asked by a fashion shop proprietor in OZ, while on a freebee visit, if she would like something, she helped herself to everything she fancied. Much to ths disgust of the owner.

Kinnock was a self serving member of the EU and has quietly arranged for his family to acquire jobs there too.

You could also add Mandleson to the list. Having had to resign twice in short order, (once for financial irregularities) from the cabinet, he gets rewarded with a nice cushy position as an EU Commissioner with all the excessive expenses that provides as it was even beyond Blair to promote him to the cabinet for a third time.

All of those things have been covered extensively by the British press but to no avail. They take the view that they'll do as they please.

Personally I would call that corrupt.

Being a very successful businessman will always provide the opportunity for criticsm. To get to that level requires some sharp practise and I'm sure you are aware of Bernie Ecclestone as a prime example. What makes you think that any astute businessman has all his assets in one place or one country? Marcos was not a businessman. I assume you meant "exciled but WITHOUT their millions of dollars"

That was my point about Marcos, he was evil not just a thief.

It's a nice idea to think that the top, corrupt, politicians would end up in goal for their actions. However, it rarely ever seems to happen, I wonder why?

yes but he proof what I wrote because he is NOT real german he is from Poland!

add 30 kg+30 years in optical age and he is german.

come on: 95 % of the women married from Germans are bar girls.

There are other girls, but they don't marry ugly old farangs.

Aw.. come on! He's not THAT ugly!...

And no, I'm not gay.

Come on.....we still look better than most Brits....

OK OK, if you compare with brits......

In terms of looking better, it is too easy to win against Brits. Do you know any nationality looking worse??

Maybe a good idea if you just speak for yourself. As a previous post said 'MOST BRITS' which I will agree with as they often make you cringe. However, they're not alone in their sartorial elegance.

You certainly don't Nasa, and thank the lord that you don't, please try to be a little better informed of the family Shinawatra. A son that cheats his way through university, a sister that accepts "informal favours" for services, and a father that is guilty of just about crime in the book.

This latest move is one so crafty that he might just creep back in, and then heaven help us.

Toxin ranks up there with Marcos for pure greed and dishonesty...

Maybe you should read up on Marcos I think you would not want to swap for him!

Well, how about personally enriching himself / his family holdings using the money of the people? That offense is a bit graver than silly visa rules. Corruption under Thaksin is a bit different - instead of other companies benefitting from corrupt deals with the government and giving him kickoffs he owns the companies, too! How convenient.

Thaksin is bad, but as the Economist put it recently: Who is better? The other parties / politicians would all like to be Thaksin themselves, they are just as corrupt or even more, and on top of it many seem outright stupid, something that Thaksin definitely isn't.

That Thais will vote for him again has more to do with the complete lack of credible alternatives. I don't know Sondhi, I hope he wins a lot of votes with whatever party he runs with so the government doesn't own all the seats.

[/rant]

Well Blair is adept at enriching himself and so is his wife, publicly! Chirac is a criminal and you could hardly call the Italian PM squeeky clean. However, there is not much in the way of street protests against these people, despite all the press coverage they get as a result. The EU parliament is a 'gravy train' for corrupt politicians like Kinnock and his family who all seem to be involved, and unelected bureaucrats too.

So what's new in Thailand that's not happening in Europe, etc.?

If you have a barrel of bad apples then it's better to stick with what you have until you can find something better. Corrupton will never be eliminated from politics because there are too many vested interests, far too much temptation for the weak willed and those of dubious character will always find a way of putting their snouts in the money trough.

Cool guy, bitch set him up. surely it was like this. Also, very possible that part of his $$$ was divided between Gf and some local officer.

Sorry, man.

Are you taking the piss, drunk or too stupid to make any sensible contribution, like many of the other posts on this topic?

Had you been one of the security guards on the vans he hijacked I'm sure you would not have been referring to him as a 'cool guy'. But there again you seem stupid enough!

Slack immigration somewhere along the line unless he found a backdoor entry.

Anon, I would venture to suggest he is all three.

Yes I guess you may be right!

Good insurance would be 600-700US$ per month, even if it covers Thailand only. Insurance of that amount per year gives I don't know what.

Mine is with Cigna Expat Insurance, it's over 1000US$ per month, covers all countries in the world although we are 2 in Thailand and 1 in Japan. It's similar to the most expensive plan with GoodHealth.

Services and % of participation, zero excess:

AMBULANCE - GROUND AND AIR 0%

ACUPUNCTURE 0%

ADULT PREVENTIVE: ADULT ROUTINE IMMUNIZATIONS 0%

ADULT PREVENTIVE: ROUTINE PHYSICAL EXAM 0%

CANCER SCREENING: ROUTINE LEAD, MAMMOGRAM, PAP, PSA, COLORECTAL SCREENING 0%

CARDIAC THERAPY 0% CHEMOTHERAPY & RADIATION - INPATIENT & OUTPATIENT 0%

CHILD PREVENTIVE CARE: AGE 1 THRU 6 0%

CHILD PREVENTIVE CARE: AGE 7 THRU 17 0%

CHILD PREVENTIVE CARE: BIRTH TO AGE 1 0%

CHILD PREVENTIVE IMMUNIZATIONS: DELAWARE MANDATED 0%

CHIROPRACTOR 0%

DENTAL: BASIC RESTORATIVE, ENDODONTICS, PERIODONTICS, ORAL SURGERY 20%

DENTAL: DIAGNOSTIC GENERAL/PREVENTIVE, X-RAYS 0%

DENTAL: MAJOR RESTORATIVE, PROSTHODONTICS 50%

DENTAL: ORTHODONTICS 50%

DIAGNOSTIC X-RAY 0%

DIAGNOSTIC LAB 0%

DIALYSIS 0%

DURABLE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT 0%

HOME HEALTH CARE 0%

HOSPICE 0%

HOSPITAL/FACILITY - INPATIENT ROOM & BOARD, ANCILLARIES 0%

HOSPITAL/FACILITY - OUTPATIENT ACCIDENT 0%

HOSPITAL/FACILITY - OUTPATIENT SICKNESS 0%

HOSPITAL/FACILITY - OUTPATIENT SURGERY, BIRTHING CENTER 0%

INFERTILITY 0%

INFUSION THERAPY 0%

MEDICAL - PHYSICIAN VISIT/ATTENDANCE 0%

NEWBORN - ROUTINE NURSERY 0%

ORTHOTICS 0%

PRE-ADMISSION TESTING 0%

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS 0%

PROSTHETICS 0%

PSYCH/ALCOHOL/DRUG - INPATIENT PHYSICIAN ATTENDANCE 0%

PSYCH/ALCOHOL/DRUG - INPATIENT ROOM & BOARD, ANCILLARIES 0%

PSYCH/ALCOHOL/DRUG - OUTPATIENT TREATMENT 0%

SKILLED NURSING FACILITY 0%

SURGERY/ANESTHESIA 0%

THERAPY: OCCUPATIONAL, PHYSICAL, SPEECH, PHYSIOTHERAPY 0%

TMJ 0%

VISITING NURSE 0%

I've just got a quote from Lawton Asia, see previous post for email and it's very competitive with a $250 excess it's even better. It includes $2 million annual limit and emergency dental treatment too for International cover that is excluding North America.

The figure I have, with the $250 excess, is $2,600/ann including Thai taxes. As I'm older than 49 my figures are higher. These figures are just for me!

I'll have the premiums to cover out-patient care tomorrow.

If you don't want to ask Lawton Asia you can look at www.premier-ih.com and they do tailored quotes.

Cool guy, bitch set him up. surely it was like this. Also, very possible that part of his $$$ was divided between Gf and some local officer.

Sorry, man.

Are you taking the piss, drunk or too stupid to make any sensible contribution, like many of the other posts on this topic?

Had you been one of the security guards on the vans he hijacked I'm sure you would not have been referring to him as a 'cool guy'. But there again you seem stupid enough!

Slack immigration somewhere along the line unless he found a backdoor entry.