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Balance

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Everything posted by Balance

  1. There was a report in the NYT several months ago that this has been proposed by Chia for other countries. The consensus was that the Chinese wanted to do this to spy on Chinese expats.
  2. Invest in a decibel meter to know how much you need to reduce the noise. Google foam soundproofing and spend some time learning about it. If you can use sheets of it and are willing to cover up a wall, you can probably do the job yourselves. The key is knowing what you require to get what you want and gaining the knowledge needed to make good purchases. Good luck
  3. It is my understanding that Tourists can't open bank accounts in Thailand. If that is true, the only option is to leave it in the hotel safe where he is staying. I am not sure that hotels will accept the risk, but it probably depends on the class of the hotel.
  4. Is the PM aware that he has a legal obligation to arrest and turn over anyone charged by the World Court of Crimes Against Humanity? This includes Putin.
  5. In 2003, the U.S. forced Thailand to sign a separate "impunity" agreement that exempts American citizens from Thai obligations to return anyone to the world court charged with crimes against humanity.
  6. Some Thai women in their 40's have professional jobs or viable businesses, speak English, make an upper-middle-class living of TB80,000/month or more, and don't need or want your money. They also can't find an unmarried Thai man they want to be with.
  7. I moved here in 2011. I wanted to have her as my designated survivor with respect to my Social Security benefits. In 2014, we began the process to get her a greencard (work permit) for the trip to the U.S. From start to finish, it took 6 months. We were required by USCIS that we prove we had lived TOGETHER for 5 years. Tourist visas are a bit easier, but not by much. The reason is that there are 100's of thousands of Asians living on the westcoast with no visa. To have even a small chance of getting a straight visa, I would first marry her here in Thailand and register the marriage at the Chiang Mai consulate or the embassy. Second, She should have a house in her name that is paid for. The asset provides the incentive for her to come back. Good luck.
  8. 1. Very large bugs( the name comes from the 1950s when UNIVAC released its first commercial "mainframe" computer. Bugs (probably cockroaches) would eat the exterior of the wiring.) came with the new release. 2. There are new websites for both the TM47 and the TM30. However, the problem seems to be the lack of communication that they exist. 3. I spent several days sorting things out and submitted my TM47. Three days later, I was notified that the submission had been rejected because the new applications DO NOT support NEW passports. So, I will drive the reports to the immigration office for the next year and hope they have the act ready for prime time.
  9. The truth is that any software that is just released needs a few months for users to go nuts tryng to get it sorted out. It took me two months of waiting for the last one to get some of the bugs worked out. I will do the same thing with this one. A trip through the 90 day window is better for my mental health.
  10. Two things help me: 1. About four hits from my pipe with Gigabud (from Prik Pot) in it; 2. Spend 30-60 minutes doing yoga stretching and strength exerices. You can certainly do both. Great sleep.
  11. Just create another ATM account (no cost) and sign up for internet banking. You can then transfer money from the non-ATM account (it is more secure according to the bank) to the ATM account. U.S. SS transfers your money to the BKB in New York and the branch forwards it to BKB in Bangkok. The money arrives in my account the same day that SS sends it.
  12. 1. What is the "correct" size, and how is it determined. Is it weighed before serving to th customer? 2. How did the owner know where the customer lived? 3. The owner claimed that the customer's post directly caused a deline in customers. I assume that she had fewer customers and assumed that it was do to the post. Wishing that something would be true does not make it true. Advise to the owner: Get a gram scale and publish the service size in all places that customers would look at. You could have your staff to to other resuturants and buy some food and then weigh it. This will tell you if you serving less or more that your competitors.
  13. Yes, thousands do operate every day until they don't and people get hurt. I think it is fair to say that Thailand does not have a good record of maintaining things: housing, commercial buildings and airliners, roads, etc. Mechanical things that are in continuous usage have to be maintained, and if this is proactive maintence, it means inspections; taking things apart and making sure that tollerances are being met, xraying critical high stress areas for cracks that cannot be seen, and proactively replacing parts at regular intervals. Next is the difficult task of drafting written maintence shedules and assigning responsibility to employes to see that they are carried out and that supervisors take their oversight responsibilites seriously. Many of these steps obiously did not happen at Don Mueany.
  14. If the money spent on corruption was directed at the construction, people could get a safe house and it would most likely not cost more.
  15. My Social Security transfers go from the SS adminiatration to Bangkok Bank in New York and then to Thailand. Since the bank knows where the transfer came from, that should be a sufficient Source of Payment that could be matched up with the annual annual SS benefits letter that the embasey refuses to acknowledge. The trick now is to get the bank to issue a letter to that effect.
  16. Airbus is owned by a number of countries and private interests. But the United States does not have any ownership and hence can not sell one to the Thai Air Force. If the artical was implying that the Air Force wants the U.S. to buy it for them, or provide financing, it is poorly written, and the U.S. Airline companies would have something to say about it. Bottom line, it would never happen.
  17. Seems like something got missed like field burning?
  18. Are you already married, and if so where did this take place?
  19. When I got back in September, I was told by immigration that since the consulate would not certify the the SS benefits letter, they would not accept the payment letter as authentic, and therefore you had to have money in the Fixed account. Later, I was told that after one year on the marriage visa I would have proof that I get money every month and that the I did not have to have to keep money in a Fixed account. But understand, these rules change weekly and they are not published anywhere. They also vary with the immigration office you use. I would go ask the immigration office.
  20. I was here on a retirement visa from 2011-2016. My wife and I got married in 2016 and then she applied for a Green Card at the Embassy. This was granted in July 2016. We then moved back to the states for 5 years which turned into six. This was to satisfy the five year joint residency requiremet for my wife to be my beneficery when I die. We returned to Thailand at the end of Septemer 2022. I came in visa exempt and they stamped a 30 day visa. I got a 30 day extention and at the same time started the process for a O based on marriage. In Chiang Mai, the first thing you have to do is deposit TB 400K in a bank (mine is BKB). There is no exception to this, save maybe if you are on an elite visa coming in. You then get a certication letter from the bank that you have the money in a "Fixed" Account." My current understanding that you have to leave the money in the bank for one year, After that there is no requirement since you have proved that you get at least TB40K every month. But it could change. As you wind through the process, make sure to bring your Thai wife with you every time you go to immigration. If she is familiar with the process, let her do most of the talking. They are trying to confirm that you are not in a "sham" marriage. The reason for the 5 year joint residency requirement is due to thousands of Vietnamese women paid Americans to marry them and get them to the states where they disapeared. I really am not sure why the Thais are so concerned about this, but money is at the root. Someone at Thai immigration told me that they would prefer if I applied for a retirement visa again (more money required in the bank). When we finally got our home vist from immigration, a lot of time was spent explaining a new rule, that I still do not understand, If you have no experience doing this, I would recommend that you have a law firm or other entitiy walk you through it and do all of the paperwork. It will run you TB20k to 30K. I used Siam Legal, and they got it done. Good luck
  21. Keep it simple. If you can, get an invoice for the amount you need to transfer. Keep in mind that Thai banks generally froun on sending hard currency. I had a sea freight bill that had to be paid to get personal effects out of customs warehouse. Do it at your Thai bank. Bangkok bank probably has the most experience.
  22. They don't stop because no one is ever punished for not stopping.
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