bradiston

Bring forward the 300 THB arrival tax ASAP. 300 x 1456 X 300 = 131,040,000 THB jus' fer starters. Kerching! Sings "We're in the money..." That's 50 for health, 50 for the airports, 50 for the bio circular whatsit, 50 for me, 50 for you, and 50 for the envelope. Brill. Job done!

I don't think that is anything like admissible evidence unless given by an expert witness under oath. I'd declare a mistrial, and move it as far from Oakland county or wherever it happened, as possible. There'll be a lynch mob out for her. Asian? Maybe she saw that coming. And they need to locate the Uber driver. What's his story? Hey, there's a whole new line of conjecture, guys. Maybe he pulled a gun? Maybe he was off his trolley. Maybe the Thai woman ..... Etc etc.

Iirc 29. I'll fill in a little background, as it may be relevant. I had a long running battle with my neighbour, who sold my daughter the land. He vandalised my house, and in doing so, trespassed on my daughter's land and, according to the police charge sheet, caused a public disturbance. I had a visit from immigration around about the same time, even though the io office is an hour's boat ride away and they were only interested in 2 foreigners on the island. They wanted to see a TM30 from my daughter, which they hadn't received. I paid the fine in lieu of a long argument about property ownership. When they'd left, it occurred to me my position was tenuous as I had no written agreement with my daughter about permission to live there, so technically, could be said to be trespassing every time I crossed her land. Hence the visit to the land office pronto as soon as my daughter came over on her annual visit. The usufruct is particularly useful in that it gives me a lot of control over the use of the house and land. It allows me to operate without POA from my daughter for much of the time, though obviously not for selling. But I can let, rent out, modify etc. It also gives me security for my lifetime. If there is such a thing! For me it was ideal.

Or you don't use them!

I have a usufruct agreement with my Thai daughter on land and buildings thereon. Her name's on the chanote, and the usufruct also with my name. My name's on the building permit, but that seems of little consequence to Thais. We went together to the land office. Neither of us speaks fluent Thai, but we got there. No lawyers involved. Just dogged determination.

Best I could come up with. There's a map of Thailand showing rates, but very broadly drawn. But the data is hugely contradictory. In one article, which just divided Thailand up into its regions of N, S, E, NE, C the E came out 2nd best. Bangkok always shows worst I think. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-24811-4#Tab3

I get what you're saying, but this is an argument about medical ethics v business ethics. I don't know what the governing laws are in Thailand, if hospitals or doctors are obliged, simply by virtue of their profession, to administer medical care on request or as deemed fit. How are they to recover costs, which you have to agree, is a major consideration if they are to stay "in business"? For minor procedures, administration of pain killers for instance, this would seem trivial. I'm not sure we're in possession of all the facts in this case. If the family wants to bring a case against the hospital, that's up to them. Somebody posted a link to the UK NHS's policy on unpaid medical bills and the connect from that to the Home Office, and reentry into the UK. I added the link in one of my posts. You won't be allowed back in until the debt is cleared, except in very rare circumstances, and even then, as all things immigration, it's discretionary. Ok, doctors in some parts of the world sign the Hippocratic oath. But I don't know, having read through it, it states that care must be given at all times, no argument. It's interesting to compare legal representation, which is always available, usually free of charge, in an emergency. Perhaps this 300 THB scheme could provide for the most basic medical treatment on the same basis. At least patched up, pain relieved, and transferred to an affordable hospital. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocratic_Oath

Your figures look convincing, but when you get on your bike and you're approaching a left/right onto Sukhumvit from Nua, Klang, Tai or Thepprasit, your chances of survival decrease rapidly. Across the board, sure, your figures hold up. But short runs around Pattaya, or Bangkok... Well, I think the odds seriously shorten! You've no protection on a bike, your mirrors stick out, and you're liable to be rammed from behind. Double jeopardy!

For a long time I opted for PAI - Personal Accident Insurance - over medical insurance as it's a fraction of the price. Until a friend pointed out, as you do, that the medical expenses cover, usually up to 100k, would probably only last a day or two in ICU with operations. Even the most expensive policies only went as high as 300k medical expenses cover. The rest was death and dismemberment cover.

If you think the police are at fault for not pursuing this, try your local government ombudsman. ผู้ตรวจการแผ่นดินของรัฐบาลท้องถิ่น (although I knew it by another name). They deal with problems with public servants. And if you can read, write and speak Thai, you're way ahead of the game. Or, take your complaint higher up the RTP hierarchy. There are intelligent helpful cops who care about the reputation of the RTP. Believe it or not, I don't care. It's been my experience. Cue the laughing icons if you will. And stay away from lawyers! Unless you know one you can trust!

Cool. Had a look at his stuff. I'd be interested in non Chinese PoE CCTV cameras. I've been with Hikvision for years, as the only fairly decent ones on Lazada, but .... Well, you know the story!

Do you mean "that DO clearly state class of vehicle..."?

Do all UK licences allow riding an MC? I think so, but am not sure. I think it used to be under 50cc for a learner licence. The wiley RTP will know!

And spend all your money here? Think you'll be shooting yourself in the foot if you're looking to cripple the Thai economy by staying in Thailand.

Yes. They moved him out from there to the local government hospital.

Regarding last sentence - there is, at least for UK citizens: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/thailand/safety-and-security But the overall tone of your slightly hysterical rant is like, none of this is her fault and Thailand has a duty of care to all its visitors, and how badly she's been treated/ripped off. Well that's as maybe, but as for Thai citizens footing the bill for this girl's oversight, well, would you stump up £40,000 in your own country for a visitor who got involved in an RTA? And the 300 THB levy hasn't yet come in, and is in no way supposed to replace private travel insurance. If you can afford to pay the 300 THB, which is spread across multiple agencies, you should be able to afford proper insurance for all your activities in your destination country. I hope she gets well soon, and home safely. Lesson learned, bruises healed.

Good links! Looks like I'd be charged at 150% too , so no point in me going home for that! And yes, I managed to follow the very interesting link (by editing out the stuff before "https") to the Home Office guidance when considering entry applications for those with NHS debt. Very informative. Makes coming into Thailand look like an absolute doddle by comparison. Long may it remain so, and long may we all respect that, and be grateful too. Suitability_Debt_to_the_NHS.pdf

Do you have any links to any of these claims, which I don't dispute, but have no idea if they're true. 150% of the costs? Inter agency sharing of data? Between the NHS and Home Office? Medical tourism is a huge cash cow for Thailand. $5 billion and counting pa. What you're talking about is the exploitation of free, or subsidised, medical services. https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/thailand-medical-tourism-market#:~:text=Thailand Medical Tourism Market Outlook,at a robust 18.4 % CAGR.

Sorry, it looks gruesome, but he walked away! You pays yer money....

The family say now they are refusing. But with no further details, it's all meaningless.

From the link, she appears happy and smiling, out of hospital, and they've already reached £30,000. My heart's stopped bleeding.

A tourist friend recently suffered a severe gash to his leg falling off his motorbike. Nobody else involved. Got taken to Bangkok Hospital. His insurance had expired. Got sent to government hospital. They stitched him up, kept him in for 3 days, and presented him with a bill for 17,000 THB, which I think was entirely reasonable, probably a complete bargain. Friends bailed him out as he'd mislaid his cards. 17,000 is far from a fortune, and affordable for most travellers. He's back on his feet, and his bike. That's partly what the 300 THB is for. The hospital is government subsidised, and my friend, as a tourist, makes no contribution to that subsidy. Only the Thai taxpayer does that. Of course, comparisons don't always apply, and this article appeared in the Mail, a not too reputable rag, with few details. For instance, where did it happen? What hospital? If there were questions about this woman's insurance cover, and her ability to pay, why proceed with extremely costly surgery, when alternatives (public hospital possibly) existed? It didn't appear to be life threatening, so moving her to a public hospital would seem to have been in her interests, at least, for her immediate wellbeing. She's unlikely to do a runner with 7 broken bones on the mend. We read of cases like this regularly, but always sourced from an overseas newspaper. Badly researched and sensationalist. Did the Mail send a reporter out to Thailand? Nah. Just copied it off the wire. How accurate are the figures? £40,000 is an astronomical sum. A cautionary tale nonetheless. Just my 300 THB worth!

It's £s

Yes, same one, same price. I've taken a punt on Lazada as I know my way round the returns system if it proves a dud. I might chase up some HDD testing software.

I think you're right. I mean, when the 700 THB departure tax was introduced, did anyone say what it was for? Was there outrage and consternation? Is it or was it earmarked for anything in particular? Do Thais pay it? Are there any refunds available? Other exemptions?