VirgoSG

There is a free app on the iPhone App Store (and, I assume, Google too) -- search for "BBC World Service" -- the icon is red.  It gives you live World Service streaming, plus access to many shows you may have missed or want to listen to right now.  Works great for me

4 hours ago, Zaphod Priest said:

 

Tosh. 

 

Abhisit is fluent in English.  He went to Eton and has a degree in Economics from Oxford.

 

Srettha  got a degree in Finance from University of Massachusetts Amherst.

 

Yingluck Shinawatra has a master's degree in public administration from Kentucky State University.

 

 

Very true.  At a quick count, out of the last 9 prime ministers (excluding stand-in PMs), at least 6 spoke English well or fluently.

I.e.:  Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Srettha Thavisin, Yingluck Shinawatra, Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thaksin Shinawatra, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh

52 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

This is excellent advice - 

 

Do you have a quite citing the original 'legal' source of this information ?

 

It could be good to show in the event of encountering a 'jobsworth' at check-in. 

 

 

 

This is the CAAT Facebook page with the announcement:

https://tinyurl.com/2yvbbwdb

6 hours ago, fezza said:

I was looking at the Honda CR-V e-HEV RS 4WD.

Of all the options discussed, your idea of this make / model is the best in my view.

I had a top-of-the-range CRV at my Koh Samui home for 2 years (2018-2020), drove it all over Thailand, and was mightily impressed with it.  Performance, road holding,  comfort, build quality and equipment were first class.  I sold it to a Samui friend in 2020 (I bought a John Copper Works Mini Countryman to replace it), and he enjoyed it big time too.  He just traded it in for the CRV model you are considering, and he is over the moon with it.  I've driven with him in it, and I concur.  A huge step up from what was already a great car.  

I have another friend in Bangkok who owned a CRV for over ten years, and then 18 months ago bought a new one, having spent almost nothing on the original (which his son is still driving!).

Reliability is a huge plus for Honda, and resale value in TH too (ditto of course for Toyota, but the Fortuner -- which I have also owned both in Singapore and Thailand -- will always be a truck-based model)

Unless you regularly travel with the dog / cage, 2 kids, 6 suitcases (which even the truck-based SUVs might be challenged by), I would 100% go with the Honda CR-V e-HEV RS 4WD

Good luck with your choice!

1 hour ago, NorthernRyland said:

What does EU gain from this arrangement? Flight risk is high with Thai's and only a small percent could afford to travel in Europe anyways. 

I think you significantly underestimate the number of Thais who can afford such travel.  Apart from the Covid period, the number of Thais visiting Japan, as an example, has been running at over a million a year.  This year's number looks like it will be about 1.3 million.  

This organisation is doing wonderful work and deserves great kudos, as well as donations from individuals and corporations

12 hours ago, NanLaew said:

I thought the most important contributor to becoeing Thai PM was getting the Senators onside, not the lower house. So he gets 40 MP's. How does that affect the total numbers in any meaningful way?

There are 500 MPs, and 250 Senators.  To be confirmed as prime minister a candidate needs a simple majority across both houses, i.e 376 votes.  There is no separate limit requirement for MPs or Senators.  So, for example, if a candidate could secure 376 votes from the 500 MPs, he or she would not need a single vote from the Senate

15 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Moved to health forum.

 

Suggest

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/Bavornrit-Chuckpaiwong

https://www.siphhospital.com/en/medical-services/doctor-biography?id=202

 

(same doctor, different hiospitals. 2nd one will cost slightly less).

 

 

 

I also saw Dr Bavornrit a few years ago, and was very impressed.  No bull<deleted>, very pragmatic approach.   

On 7/7/2023 at 9:15 PM, Sheryl said:

They will also raise by age bracket.

 

You can get a chart now showing current rates by age group which will give you an idea of what magnitude of increase to expect and at what age. 

 

The increases are most marked after age 65. For the simple reason that need for medical csre and thus size and frequency of claims substantially increases at that poinh and keeps doing so. 

 

It makes zero sense IMO  to opt out of a policy because of these higher rates in old age since you are at that point quite likely to have a large claim in the forseeable future...and anyone who can't afford insurance premiums certainly can't afford to self pay that.  If unable to afford continued insurance it may be  time to consider a move back home. All of which should have been thought through/planned years in advance, since there is nothing unknown or unpredictable about age related changes in premium.

 

Previous or current state of health and prior use of policy (or lack thereof) is not a good   predictor of   future need for health care  once you are elderly.

 

 

 

 

Interestingly, I think AXA International calculate age premiums based on total claims for each age in their customer base, meaning you don't get any sudden big increases in premium when (for example) you go from 60-65 into 65-70 -- which a lot of companies do.

I couldn't agree more with your view regarding opting out of coverage when you get older.  Very sage advice...

22 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Out of interest at what premium level (baht) would you cancel? most people have probably got an upper limit

Fortunately, I am financially in a position not to have to ask myself that question.  But, given that AXA International only increases premiums based on total claims experience and medical cost inflation, I find it hard to imagine a stage where the question would arise 

I've been scanning through this thread again, and see that many people have expressed an interest in what companies / policies one should look at.  So, I thought I would re-post what I had to say a couple of weeks ago (with a couple of additions) as it may help people who are reconsidering their coverage options:--

<Take a look at AXA International health insurance (based in the UK, not the local AXA branch in Thailand)  [ Search for "axa global healthcare" ].  I have been with them for many years, and had an excellent claims experience (including cataract surgery, removal of potentially cancerous skin growths, expensive hospitalisation/treatment while traveling to HK).  Doesn't matter where you live in the world, they will cover you wherever you happen to be, and you can also choose where you get treatment (e.g. if I elect to go to Singapore for treatment, no problem). 

Contrary to what many people say, reputable (and likely non-Thai) insurers do not jack up the premium based on your personal claims record.  AXA increase their premiums based on the company's total claims experience and medical-related inflation.  In some years my premium has increased as little as 2%, in others up to 17%.  

They certainly insure Thais as well as expats, because we recently switched my partner's insurer to AXA International -- her own policy, not added onto mine.  Her premium aged 39 is about THB40,000 -- roughly the same as the appalling Thai insurance policy she had before, and vastly superior coverage.

With a GBP2,000 (voluntary) deductible, aged 75, my annual (worldwide excluding USA) premium this year is GBP5,300 (about THB230,000).  And that includes emergency evacuation and repatriation cover.  Once you are insured, there is no age limit that I am aware of (although I don't know if they have an upper age limit for new policies). And there should be no problem getting cover at your young 61 years!  They also have an exceptionally reasonable policy regarding pre-existing conditions.  

If you are interested after reading their website, I would suggest calling their health advisers or their sales team.  Their staff are really well-trained (sales people not pushy at all, and customer advisors are superb), personable and helpful.  

On 6/29/2023 at 11:35 AM, Scouse123 said:

Guys, I am at the 61 years old mark. I don't smoke, I do drink but not for the next few months as I am on a health kick. I only drink wine or beer and not heavy stuff or spirits.

 

I get regular health checks which I pay for. A recent one, the doctor stated my vitals and bloods were good as were all my organs.

 

I also get annual health check at Bangkok hospital, Khonkaen and try to stay in a reasonable condition. My check last year was a decent result considering my age and just a few age related areas to keep an eye on.

 

I need to be a bit more active exercise wise, which I will be doing this week and get back into a health routine.

 

I have a number of long term friends in Thailand that basically self insure, this is mainly due to the fact that they are late seventies and early eighties and they tell me they are in fact not insurable, due to age or premiums that are simply unaffordable.

 

After seeing recent postings on this board of insurance companies doing anything to get out of paying and null and voiding accounts with ' small print clauses ' I am wondering if these premiums are a waste of time and would I be better off just putting those fees in a separate ' health account '

Before you decide to self-insure, take a look at AXA International health insurance (based in the UK, not the local AXA branch in Thailand)  [ Search for "axa global healthcare" ].  I have been with them for many years, and had an excellent claims experience.  Doesn't matter where you live in the world, they will cover you, and you can choose where you get treatment (e.g. if I elect to go to Singapore for treatment, no problem). 

Contrary to what many people say, reputable (and likely non-Thai) insurers do not jack up the premium based on your personal claims record.  AXA increase their premiums based on the company's total claims experience and medical-related inflation.  In some years my premium has increased as little as 2%, in others up to 17%.  

They certainly insure Thais as well as expats, because we recently switched my partner's insurer to AXA International -- her own policy, not added onto mine.  Her premium aged 39 is about THB40,000 -- roughly the same as the appalling Thai insurance policy she had before, and vastly superior coverage.

With a GBP2,000 (voluntary) deductible, aged 75, my annual (worldwide excluding USA) premium is GBP5,300 (about THB230,000).  And that includes emergency evacuation and repatriation cover.  There is no age limit that I am aware of. And there should be no problem getting cover at your young 61 years!  They also have a very reasonable policy regarding pre-existing conditions.  

If you are interested after reading their website, I would suggest calling their health advisers or their sales team.  Their staff are well-trained (sales people not pushy at all), personable and helpful.  

16 hours ago, treetops said:

Similar to MartinL, I too successfully submitted and got approval on line following a trip last September time (Jomtien office for me).  Will find out if it's still the case in just over a week as I was away again in Feb/March this year.

Same for me last year, 90 days after a brief trip to Phnom Penh.  Not on a re-entry permit, but I don't see why that would make any difference.   

I hope it works okay for you -- I suggest you do the online report early to give yourself time to do it at your immigration office just in case it doesn't work.

That is very sad news indeed.  Ubon Joe was an invaluable resource for reliable information on immigration matters for many years.  He was invariably polite, helpful and responsive, and he helped countless expats on this forum, including me.  He will be sorely missed indeed. 

Ave atque vale Ubon Joe

15 hours ago, Yorkie said:

Today I learnt of the extremely sad news of the passing of Ubon Joe. He will be a substantial and irreplaceable loss to Thai Visa (Asean Now).

That is very sad news indeed.  Ubon Joe was an invaluable resource for reliable information on immigration matters for many years.  He was invariably polite, helpful and responsive, and he helped countless expats on this forum.  He will be sorely missed indeed. 

Ave atque vale Ubon Joe

10 hours ago, samuttodd said:

Hello all I will be in the province of Nan for a few days on my motorbike and would be interested in exploratory excursions to interesting and photogenic types of places in the area. I’ve got my cell phone GPS to guide me but I’m just not sureWhere to begin.

 

Any hints or ideas you can give me I’ll plug them into my GPSAnd we can go check them out.Thanks for your help

I've driven much of this territory several times.  The countryside and landscapes to the NW (into northern Payao province), N, NE, and E of Nan city are some of the best that Thailand offers.  You can easily spend several days driving the roads of these areas.  Depending on the time you have available, just pick some circular routes around those areas, search for convenient stop-off accommodation, and you will have a great time

I've used RS Components in Thailand and Singapore quite a few times.  Very professional, product range is amazing, and delivery fast.  Take a look there.  They have quite a range of step-down transformers

https://th.rs-online.com/web/

A new record.
 

My online 90-day report approval email was received 2 minutes and 12 seconds after I got the submission acknowledgement email.

I would bet a fair amount of money that these are the footprints of a tokay gecko.  You can see the thicker pad marks in the photo.  Not many creatures can climb a flat wall -- water monitors certainly cannot do that.  The latter can climb trees, but don't have the adhesion required to climb a flat surface.

Tokays also love running around in the roof space and in my experience the sound they make doing so is much louder than you might expect from their size -- but males can run to at least 40cm long and be pretty heavy.

We have them frequently in the roof space of our villa (and in the ground floor ceiling too).  But they don't always stay around very long for some reason.

Beautiful creatures anyway

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

Enter your new arrival date when you do the application and it should not be a problem.

I shall keep my fingers crossed!

On 7/30/2022 at 10:20 AM, KhunBENQ said:

Might have been noticed before (can't go through all 1.5k posts).

Today I got the reminder email for 90 day report due date August 14.

I had done a same day border run on July 17 entering visa exempt which starts a new 90 day period.

So this means that the system does not recognize the exit from the country.

Will visit immigration on Aug 11 for picking up my Non O visa.

Good opportunity to ask about it and whether I will be able to do online reporting from then on.

My math says next report due date is October 14 (July 17 + 89).

On 7/30/2022 at 10:30 AM, ubonjoe said:

The message that that your report is due is solely generated by the online reporting system based upon when your last online report was done.

It does not get updated when you leave and re-enter the country or do a report in person.

You will be able to your next report online  without a problem since there is no check of when you did your last report.

 

I have the same situation.  My Thailand Elite 20-year visa was "renewed" for its second 5-year period on July 6th at Chang Wattana (it needed "renewal" by August 2nd).  My permission to stay was also due to expire August 2nd, and my 90-day report was due August 15th. 

I left the country on July 19th and re-entered July 22nd via Suvarnabhumi.  I got a 1-year permission to stay as usual, and my new 90-day report date will be about October 20th.

Yesterday I received the standard email from Immigration notifying me that my next 90-day report was due August 15th.

I shall be very interested to see if Samui Immigration approves my online 90-day submission when I attempt it in mid-October (I've been successfully using the system for 3 years).  I really hope so, as I won't be in Samui at the time to do it in person

Apologies for 3 copies of the certificate