Estrada

19 hours ago, djayz said:

Here we go again... if I had ฿ 1 for every time people pointed out the absymal level of English here, I'd be a millionaire by now! 

If the teachers haven't mastered the language, then how are they expected to teach their students?!?!

 

Teachers and professors who have their positions partially thanks to family connections and are never observed by neutral peers with the aim of improving standards. They have no motivation to improve themselves as teachers nor to help their students improve their (students) lot in life. The language center I work at observes all teachers once and sometimes twice a year and conducts regular student feedback surveys. All with the aim of 1) keeping teaching standards up and 2) to check student i.e. customer satisfaction with the teaching staff. 

This could easily be done at the public schools and universities. 

 

Based on your poor grammar and misspelling of the subject word "Abysmal" as "Absymal", I suggest you find a better English language school to teach you English. I hope that you are not an English Language Teacher as "If the teachers haven't mastered the language, then how are they expected to teach their students?!?!"

2 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

 

I still have History Channel on 556 and H2 on 557? The BBC add-on is being discontinued from 1 January.

 

It is not actually the same H2 as was on 567 but they keep that name for any other of the several History Channels they show in Asia. H2 its self was closed as a content provider in Feb 2016. I just spoke to True Visions about BBC add on and they said they will terminate their contract with the BBC as of 31st December 2016.

4 hours ago, sappersrest said:

If you are setting up for a dishwater and you use water supplied the provincial water company i.e. city water then you should set the setting to soft.If however the water comes from your local municipality then maybe get a check done as well water differs enormously from area to area.

 

Results of a water sample from PWA  water in the Maya area done about 8 months ago

UNFILTERED WATER

 

PPM

TOTAL ALKILINITY 68 ppm

68

 

TOTAL HARDNESS

40 ppm

 

CALCIUM HARDNESS

22 ppm

 

pH

7.55

 

PHOSPATES

0.12 ppm

 

CHLORIDES

Below 1 ppm

 

NITRATES

0.8 ppm

 

COPPER

Less than .01ppm

 

IRON

LESS THAN.03 ppm

 

MANGANESE

.02 ppm

 

CHLORINE

.45 ppm

 

The PWA standards can be found here https://en.pwa.co.th/download/pwastandard50-1.pdf

This water is corrosive, as is any R.O. water also. The water in Chaingmai would be soft water since it originates from rain water that is stored. Water that is pumped from below ground is hard water.

Join a Rotary Club, there are plenty of projects you can get involved in without worrying about a work permit.

"We lost the History channel 567 recently without any reason being given.  I hear from other expats that BBC World News has also been lost from some service providers. Does anybody know where else we might get the BBC Entertainment package?"

History Channel H2 was closed down in the United States on February 29th 2016 and has been replaced by Animal Planet on True Visions on Channel 567. The H2 brand is still used for sister channels to History in other markets such as Thailand where there is an H2 Channel on 556. The BBC entertainment package has been available as an optional add on package for a long time. It used to be part of the Platinum Package but I was not going to pay for the full Platinum Package just for the BBC Entertainment Package so I stuck to Gold and added on BBC Entertainment for around B156 extra. If you are on Cable you can get other optional permutations added on such as ABC TV Australia and Al Jazeera but these are not available by satellite.

So far this year. in gun happy US, there have been 53,163 reported gun incidents with 13,742 dead, 28,303 injured (not including suicides) and 361 mass shootings. Yet they want a ban and/or control on Muslims whilst at the same time relaxing all control on guns carried by the non muslims that carried out the other 53,160 attacks. It makes no sense to blame a tiny minority for the extreme risk of death from violent attacks in the United States.

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

You apply for the income letter at the UK embassy by mail. They do not do them in person.

See: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-obtain-a-pensionincome-letter-for-thai-immigration

This surely takes too long and does it now cost B2300?

2 minutes ago, louse1953 said:

If you have your money in a fixed deposit some officers want to see a savings account or something that shows movement of money.Proof that you are not working.After a couple of years this becomes routine.Also officers get to know you,easy going or trouble some,up to you.

I have lived here 22 years. At CW I have never, ever, had a problem with the B800K in a time deposit and never have I been asked to show movement of money, nor have any of my many friends who follow the same procedure.

3 minutes ago, xerostar said:

I see this discussion is all about the bank book deposits etc

But what about the alternative ?

 

I was told to go to my Embassy in Bangkok and do a statutory declaration regarding my income

- which is in my case a little more than the required 65,000 baht per month.

 

To make sure, I telephoned the Embassy and spoke to a person in the Consulate section.

I asked them what was needed to do the Stat Dec.

He said just bring your passport and fill in the form, pay a fee and that's it !

 

Unless I am mistaken, that's all Thai immigration require as proof of income

 

It seems to be a far simpler route to placing 300K in a Thai bank two months beforehand and presenting updates of the bank book etc.

 

OK, some people may only have a cash amount and no regular income in which case the bank book route is their only choice.

 

 

I tried to make an appointment for a statutory declaration at the British Embassy recently. They have a system now in "Beta" format for all appointments to be booked on line. The earliest appointment I could get was in 31 days time! It is far simpler to place a B800K Time Deposit with the bank 3 months before your visit.

All the information regarding Criteria and conditions of stay are listed on the Immigration Bureau web site in English. Click Criteria and Conditions of Stay on the leftof the front page and then look at 2 "List of Supporting Documents and then 2.22 "In case of retirement".

http://www.immigration.go.th/

46 minutes ago, taiping said:

I believe there are some errors here. I have renewed my Retirement extension many times at CW.

I obtain the bank letter and authorised (bank rubber stamp) copies of the bank passbook the day before I go to CW.

When I go to CW I withdraw a sum of money from the bank branch at CW (usually I withdraw 1,000 baht) and ask the bank branch to make one copy of the updated passbook showing the lower balance.

CW Immigration officers have always accepted the bank letter and copies of passbook, despite the fact that the bank letter shows a different total than the copy of the updated passbook. 

CW have rejected the letter from the bank dated the day before, in the past and insisted that the letter be made on the same day. They made me go downstairs to the

Bangkok Bank Branch and get a same day letter and confirmation of B800K in the bank.

16 hours ago, Yggdrasil said:

Yes I fully agree, yet may I add that any foreigner staying in Thailand more than 180 days is by the Thai Revenue department regarded as a 'Tax Resident' (not to be confused with 'Permanent Resident') and therefore, as a general rule, taxable for any and all income and pension from abroad that actually is received here in Thailand. Therefore, even without a work permit foreigners staying here more than half a year are obligded to pay tax here, though not on income or pension that is kept outside Thailand. This is the general rule but any foreigner staying more than 180 days should read the relevant Tax Agreement between Thailand and his/her country.

Finally, when you declare your annual income/pension the Thai Revenue dept will use your detailed bank statement to check how much you bring in. Normally, smaller amounts explained as gifts etc will not create any problems. Hope this was helpful.

Pensions are not taxed in Thailand. I went to the Thai Inland Revenue Department after reading the regulation that you have quoted. They were very efficient in finding my tax records from when I first worked here 22 years ago, and they told me, that as I am a pensioner, they are not interested in taxing pensioner's income from pensions.

SRT Airport Link extension Phayathai - Bangsue - Donmueang Will be given to the Cabinet for approval next year (2017) est.cost = 31139.35 Million Baht

The line you can see is the elevated section of the 1metre gauge SRT rail tracks.  The others are

• SRT Light Red line - (15 km) - 100% built
• SRT Dark Red line - (26 km) - 64.27% built

7 minutes ago, tontraveller said:

and 10,000 baht each 5 years...

This 5 year visa was aimed at boosting medical tourism. You need B3Million in bank untouched for 1 year and then you have to prove that you have spent at least 50% on medical bills, accommodation, houses etc. You also need to take out medical insurance basic cover for B100,000 at B8-11,000/year depending on age up to 70 year of age. There would probably need to be a yearly medical prior to each renewal which could cost up to B17,000/year.

It would seem that this is just another variation of the Elite Visa Scheme and would not replace the normal 1 year permission to stay.

12 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

 

The current 800k earns little to no interest as it cant be put in a term deposit, I presume the 3,000,000 would be the same

Not true. They prefer to see the B800K in a term(time) deposit account which carries a higher rate of interest than a savings deposit account. I have used term deposits for the last 6 years. The B3,000,000 can be placed in a term deposit account and interest rates a likely to rise from now on. The article states that the B3million only has to be left untouched for 1 year and presumably after that you can please yourself. 

Every year the press headlines say that Loy Krathong is now mostly using "Environmentally friendly" Krathongs. The truth is that environmentally friendly materials demand oxygen to allow bacteria to digest them. This takes oxygen from the water and suffocates the fish. Therefore will they please stop using the words "Environmentally friendly" to encourage people to use Krathongs of natural materials.

1 hour ago, halloween said:

MINIbus?

Yes, they call them minibuses as they are smaller than the main bus fleets. There used to be an even smaller bus which they called the "Microbus".

I got a new passport at Trendy British Passport service on behalf of British Embassy and they gave me  a preprinted letter from the British Consul addressed to Thai Immigration requesting that they transfer the stamps into my new passport. When I went to Thai Immigration Chaeng Watana Bangkok, the senior immigration officer had a dicky fit because the letter was the old letter and not the new letter which has to be individually signed and stamped and not a photocopy. In the end she allowed the transfer to go ahead and told me I had to get an original letter and come back with it later. The British Consul told me that new letter should have been issued the following week so ignore it, so I did and nothing was said when I went to renew my extension 2 months later.

The problem with the British Embassy is that they do not seem to want to handle any affirmations. I needed a letter confirming my address from the British Embassy last month as my driving licence was due to expire on 7th November. I went to the British Embassy website 3 weeks before it expired and the earliest appointment I could get was 30days! from booking the appointment. I can remember when it was same day service. So I had to go to Thai Immigration to get a letter and they said 3 weeks. In wonderful Thai logic, the embassy needed the address on the back of my expiring driving licence as proof of address.

Another example amongst the many untrue stories being put out by the press, in this case the Daily Mirror, releasing a story that they must know is complete BS. We have caught pythons as big as this outside our house and they are not dangerous, do not rear up and are swiftly caught and bagged for relocation or the barbeque.

2 hours ago, Henryford said:

Totally forbidden under 30 days in my condo.

So if you want to rent a unit for 7 days @ B600/night, you charge B4,200 and give them a contract for 30 days. I have rented @ B7,000 from 9th Nov to 28th Nov and have a contract from 1st to 30th November.

Just rented two rooms in a Bangkok apartment building for 3 weeks. They offer B600/day or B12,000 per month. They own the whole building, so I think it only applies to people who only own a few units in a condo or sub-lets.

Best thing he can do is leave  Thailand for good. My friend Somchai Neelapaijit, a Thai Human rights lawyer, disappeared in 2004 whilst defending Muslims in the South of Thailand who were in police custody. He is presumed dead. Another friend, Michael Wansley, an Australia Accountant who was carrying out an audit of Kaset Thai Sugar Company in 1999, was shot dead by hired assassins. The Mill owner was not charged and the Mill director, Pradit Siriviriyakul, was acquitted due to lack of evidence that the company had hired the assassins. I was also threatened with a gun after I exposed a Multi-Million Baht/year scam at a dairy company here in 1999, luckily I have friends in high places and they backed off. Andy Hall should have learnt by previous cases that there is one rule for the rich and one for the rest, as can seen in the Case of the Red Bull heir and others. 

We bought our house 22 years ago and we still get monthly statements sent by Kasikorn Bank addressed to the previous owner, even though Kasikorn told me, two years ago, that they would change the address on their records. Of course nothing happened, so now I just bin the letters.

Yes. The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) and Ministry of Public Health. In Bangkok, the BMA has occasional clean food campaigns but I don't see much action since the days when Samak was Bangkok Governor. Policing the supermarkets seems to be non-existent in Thailand. Our local Tesco at Seacon often has all manner of insects running around especially cockroaches and occasional rat. Chilled food is often not stored at sufficiently low a temperature. Although the majority of customers uses tongs to handle meat from the open trays, there are still too many who use their dirty hands to pick up meat and toss it around before leaving their germs on the meat for another customer.

As for restaurants, I was amazed to see rats running around in the poolside kitchen at the British Club the last time I visited there to do an equipment survey. You never know what the conditions are behind the scenes as the regulations are poorly enforced.

The beaches around Thailand are Crown Property and come under the responsibility of the Military. Over the past 30 years they have tried to demolish the beachside illegally built properties that go back to the days of the Vietnam War, when Pattaya became an R&R destination. Previous attempts to have the properties demolished have stopped after they found that certain influential politicians had interests in some of the properties. The difference now is that we have a Military Government who have the power to finally demolish the illegal buildings. I have been visiting Pattaya and walking street for years but in the past few years it has become marred by hoards of lines of Chinese Tourists marching up and down led by a person with a flag.