StarFighter

I agree the duties are ridiculous, however on old cars, it isn't prohibitive. What's impossible is the personal criteria and I can see how rare it would be for a person to fullfill ( 5 continuous years of B visa , ownership over a year prior, etc etc etc. )

UPDATE

have spoken to Customs and was told my estimate of between 30,000 and 40,000 baht" seems about right" and value will be based upon what I paid in USA for it. Getting that on paper is another trick. I have just received the new letter with corrected engine number , so will make another trip to Bangkok to finish the application next week or so.

^ Eh, ? Not sure of your question. Customs has not assigned a value, am told I have to get the import license before I can approach them on that subject.

I am stating I paid 4000 USD, in 2005. ( though at the time it was valued at over 7000 according to Kelly Blue book. )

The car is currently valued, in USA at about $ 2,500. Couldn't sell it 2006, when I came to TLand which is why I still have it.

MY has assigned a value of $ USD 7000. I will be challenging that IF Thailand uses that for valuation.

The eligibility requirements are quite stringent. I am in the middle of trying to import my 12 yo car from Malaysia. I've gotten permission, but with an error in the letter, so am awaiting new letter.

According to Ministry of Foreign Trade, to whom you apply for permission to import; You will need 5 years of continuous B visas with no interruption, and must have owned the car for 1 and 1/2 years before the first issuance of B visa.

Not too many people can possibly fulfill that requirement - who holds onto a car for that long while out of the country.

Work permit and Thai driver's license too. Helps to have a company and you must go to the Ministry in person. ( Nonthaburi )

I'm still trying to get a firm quotation on the duty. I paid 4000 US $ in 2005 and still have that tax receipt.

I imported it to MY from USA last year. I can ask MY to re-access value of it too but am awaiting answer from TH Customs on how value is accessed.

The local Customs guy agreed under 40,000 seemed reasonable, but K Worawat thought that figure, "..would be impossible."

Customs site graph shows cars over 10 years old get 80 % discount.

The tax is 206 % of value, whatever that is and remember freight is added in, too.

I can duck that as I'd be driving it in.

Also you may not sell it for three years.

All I can say is used cars here are stupidly expensive, I refuse to spend any more money here that I have to, is why I'm trying.

If the duty is jacked up I intend to appeal.

Talk to a K. Worawat on the 10 th floor Nonthaburi building- he's about the only one who speaks English, too.

^ Not sure he can do that and save money, used cars are really expensive here plus you really have no idea if it was maintianed. My car is not available, it is left hand drive which I find safer, and I know it's history and I'll get another 150, 000 onit. Plus it's cool as can be and I enjoy it. ALl the cars here look the same, 4 doors or pay out the yang..

Update # 4

Am still attempting to find the cost. And also was informed one must hang onto it for three years before resale. MY MMSH has a little non disclosed tid bit in that when one sells th ecar, the duty is them paid for by the buyer. Must post that on MY forum

Have revised my estimate down somewhat, I don't see how they can claim it's worth more than I paid for it though my eyes may be closed. Even if they use MY estimate of value, it's still cheaper than buying a used car. That's the idea, to not keep buying a car or other crap. Car before I moved, had for 22 years, regret selling it too but the gas was insane. My lap top is 7 years old and my TV is 6 , 17 inches of CRT. DId finally buy a cheapo replacement phone last year.

TonTonJoy,

You can easily drive in temporarily on a 30 day customs tourist permit. You need to get have TH insurance though which can be bought at the border. YOu can also get 30 day extensions at local Customs House, though I'm told 6 month is limit per year,

I am attempting to permanently import. It seems to be doable, if you read the thread..however I am awaiting verification on costs, restrictions before I proceed.

For permanent import , if are not Thai, you will need 5 years of continuous B visa, and WP. And Thai driving license, plus the usual certificates of residency.

Important : will need proof of owner ship of the car for 1 . 5 year before first Thai B visa

Perhaps prepare to make two or more possibly futile trips to Bangkok.

BTW Sadao closes at 11 PM I found out the hard way.

The Mae Sot border, even earlier drive there in about 8 hours, closed ghost market with leering guard, then over and back to at Yai , awful..down to Sadao, with 15 minutes to spare, back up to Hat Yai maybe 14 hours driving.

“We sent our team from the Bureau of Epidemiology to collect samples just as we did with the Canadian sisters’ case, but the circumstances behind those deaths were considerably different from those in this latest case,” he said.

Yeah, but almost a week later if I recall.

And what cirumstances are now different ?

btw m , Vomit, tissue and other samples do not an autopsy make. And the Belanger sisters were embalmed so any autopsy and or toxicology tests in Canada may well prove inconclusive.

"But the results from tests in this latest incident have revealed no connection with public health aspects to the deaths of the two Canadian sisters,” he added."

THat's confusing, the most recent incident is the Belanger sisters and also all the tests results are not known ( at that time)

Yeah this is very bad doublespeak. Really alarming.

Bangkok Matt,

If the car is newer, I would agree, but according to the Customs site, and all officers I've talked to agree, after 10 years the rate is reduced by 80 %. Also there is a strange clause I have discovered about Japanese manufactured cars getting an additional 25 % discount.

But yes I"m still trying to confirm where the value comes from.

OK... update due to really really jaw dropping ine ... well I'll just stick to facts

Misunderstanding and typo errors on letter "due to the language they use is different and average Thais such as the person I got to proof read my letter might not admit they can't read it." ( yes he did gloss over the engine size numbers come to think of it...)

Am waiting on clarification on required time constraints since it was imported to MY has changed that goal line.

And yes, JFHC,I did disclose all this upon initial phone call, and in the first meeting with all docs offered and even with a registered letter to the director that never made it to his desk..?? Still waiting for answers on that one.

Am also actively seeking appropriate, er.. counsel to approach Customs as I still cannot get direct questions on the duty fees answered. I intend to obtain those figures before moving on. Am told by agents that hang around the Customs house to alway import at the MY border, with my MY visa , it is more likely to stay above board. We'll see

I thinking no more than 40,00 and actually on what I paid for it, and if I can swing that Jap discount, 31,000 ( on year 2000 )

But in fairness, MFT have admitted huge mistake on their part. At least I got registered as an importer, with a number assigned, and I can apply online IF and WHEN I get another approval letter issued.

Meanwhile, Customs will not issue any more extensions on this temp permit ( got 6 months on it though..which is perfectly legal. ) so pulling a cannonball to MY soon. That route through Phang-nga and Krabi is gorgeous anyway and I should stop and have a short holiday along the way. And my workers can too and get paid for it. Jeeez

OK naysayers , you were right. what a collossal exercise in futility. btw I did go to customs first, Phuket where I was told to jump throught the hoops of applying before I could get any kind of answer omn the actual cost, however the ministry of trade , in their wisdom of having all applications in thai and thai only, put down the weight in lbs for engine cc size. When i showed them the mistake second trip to Nontahaburi the Malaysia titlte , they gasped and informed me I could not import the car after all.

I have no respect for the policies and machinations of this country and see this as a deal breaker. wish to gawd I had never moved here , ok for the men with the prostitutes and all, but just sick of the alienation and outright hostility.

^ as the bodies were embalmed before leaving Thailand, I wouldn't hope for too much. We can only hope the Thai police labs are testing for a lot of different compounds.

And then that we will get full disclosure of results.

[snicker]

That Thai forensics team did not take sample until 5 days after discovery , possibly 7 days after death does not bode well, either.

At least that blatant mis information of food poisoning isn't going to hold water, anymore. I hope.

Re the Portuguese guy,

I have read a post that about a media " report" re a note from him being in the room proves something or,.. 'nother about his inocence or involvement but it seems the cops haven't considered it could have been slipped under the door and the the maid or more likely untrained cops first on the scene picked it up off the floor and set it on a table.

regardless, I don't think dope-date- rapers escort victims home and then don't rape them. Or had he (or they?)

The police quoted claims that no violence occured therefore no foul play is also suspect .

THere was a study a few years back about how Thai judges looked at the degree to which women defended themselves in sex attacks. If they did little in way of resistance, had few bruises to show for it, etc. the offender was more likely to be aquitted. So something western women should be aware of is this 180 degree rotation from they may have been taught, which is to not fight back as it may provoke more violence.

Either way you're screwed. [sorry]

Obviously food poisoning? No I stronlgy disagree, but will agree it is a serial poisoner, or is commonly done.

I still think visine in the drinks could easily do this and explains all the facts- it is deadly and easy to do.

to carry on the vein of thought from the just now closed " food poisoning" thread - I buprofen is what all young women carry for cramps and menstruation explains the blood smears.

The man, believed to be a foreigner

I also have a lot of doubts about the ibuprofen or exstacy or any other drug GHB etc. yes you can die from overdose but generally it doesn't make your gums bleed and nails blacken etc. They seem much more like they have been intentionally poisoned with insecticide concentrate or rat poison. It is like their systems were overwhelmed with toxins which is unusual for a OD. OD is more like black out, convulsion, asphyxiation etc, respiratory and brain problems, unlike the extreme toxic reaction symptoms these girls had. Also the long time they spent in the room being sick which suggest massive toxic-overload rather than drug OD which typically would knock them straight out. Obviously now we know it was foreigners involved in the deaths and obviously it was food poisoning, but I would suggest there might be a local serial-killer on the island who has been poisoning for a long time. I'm surprised this possibilty was never raised by the police.

Having one contact only is a wise move, cut down on some of the more olympic leaps of conjecture by lazy journalists.

So we have massive vomiting, and young attractive western women, in a third possibly fourth death cluster at holiday destinations mmm what ever could it be. Gosh, I just can't imagine, what on earth could link those two ? Mmmmmm... such a mystery.

As long as Thailand continues its unabashed whorery and remains brothel to the world, I doubt it will ever be forced to clean up its ways. Sex sells and most men will do just about anything, including putting up with ridiculous, unfair rules against " farang" so as to maintain access to sex. They know it, too.

Thailand better get its shit together soon or they will be facing empty rooms this coming high season. 60 year old women getting stabbed to death and kickboxers getting bashed in and then collusion by police to cover it up do not bode well with travel agents. Too many other nice places around, peple will take the alternative....

^ Those deaths in Chiang Mai were never solved, " Likely pesticide poisoning" was the verdict from DDC .

Common symptom is relentless vomitting with NO OTHER SYMPTOMS

So ....

and what appears to be uncontrollable bowl movements.

....Nisa, I haven't seen this info ^ you have posted , please can you tell where are you getting it?

As far as I have read, the only concrete evidence of symptoms is vomitting , which is the connection to the 14 other known cases of death.

Also I must comment as young women are often on their periods ( about 20 % of the time ,) let us not rule out "blood" from that - when you're sick, and can't find tampons, as it the case often in Thailand, or too sick to see to your cleanliness, you may have blood under your fingernails.

Also those useless OB tampons that are often the only tampons that can be found and , have to be inserted with one's fingers. ( for you men who may have no idea about such things ...)

Too sick and weak to worry about washing up .. and you have" blood" under the fingernails. Touch your face, and you have a smear mark .

Menstrual fluid vs. blood can be easily ascertained..

I told you what happened to me and many others, and I didn't say they present themselves with dehydration.

Typically, the patient turns up complaining of prolonged vomiting, the runs, and headache with fever. The diagnosis will be made of gastro enteritis or acute gut infection, and the patient hooked up to the drip. The drip is commonly used out here to ward of dehydration which is actually the bigger danger than the infection itself, which as we know subsides within hours usually.

When the patient has recovered sufficiently to take in water, he is usually discharged with an antibiotic, and painkillers, and a few packets of ORS.

This is what happens.

Keep in mind it appears these girls appear to have made no attempt to get help or call a doctor. Yet there was bleeding, vomiting and what appears to be uncontrollable bowl movements. We can't believe everything we read as being completely factual or complete but if true, I can think of only a few plausible explanations for this given what we know ...

1) The illness and effects came on incredibly fast

2) They didn't call for help because they were afraid ... possibly because they took something illicit.

3) They thought they knew what was occurring and it would pass combined with them both not being people who generally seek medical help for an illness.

4) A combination of all 3

1 or 4 would seem the most plausible because even if 2 & 3 are true, one would care about the other enough to seek help for them once things got as bad as the image painted in the room. Incredibly fast would also explain why they appear to have both died or became incapacitated at the same time not being able to pick up the phone and call for help for the other.

Sorry I can't find the article , read earler today somewhere on this thread or the Scot woman " friend" thread ( seems she wasn't a companion but had just met them ) but is was attributed to Dr Porntip.

Actually this list is now 14 westerners, ( not including Canadian Bill Mah as DCD did not include him in CM cluster ) 11 of whom were young attractive women, all puking to death without diarhea ( prior cases at least )

This common symptom is reported as such by Thai DDC in the CM case report. something is making them vomit, and then other factors, perhaps- such as blood sugar, alcohol levels, prior health conditions , etc is sending them over the edge.

I am begining to suspect foreigners probably get dosed more frequently than we know of . Egads , will the truth about this place ever get out?

I do find the one statement that has any kind of relevance from the head coroner interesting, about platelets not clotting - it all fits in with the prank, ( or maybe even more sinister motives, yes ) poisoning gone bad due to underlying health factors.

Source? I realize it may be a publication that you can't post a link to but can you please abbreviate or something? Thanks.

Somewhere there is a list and we are now up to 12 westerners, mostly women all young and attractive , dying of something that causes extreme vomiting with all the related syndromes, mainly dehydration leading to heart conditions, etc. .

what I can't stand is all the speculation on causes based on what police Lt. Col SomChai thinks and what third rate medical personnel have speculated upon, and how reports are gleaning inaccuracies from these statements and reporting as facts.

Like that friend was merely repeating what she'd read, or the local gossip and then it gets regurgitated as a fact.

nails blue, yeah cause they were dead for a day or so . blood in the mouth? Or gums? about a zillion reasons for that.

I do find the one statement that has any kind of relevance from the head coroner interesting, about platelets not clotting - it all fits in with the prank, ( or maybe even more sinister motives, yes ) poisoning gone bad due to underlying health factors.

However gross misuse of a bed bug gas pellet also fits the known facts nicely and is more likely.

Either way Thailand can not be trusted to divulge any findings in an honest and open manner.

That unaware tourists remain horribly unaware of this culture's amazing propensity for dishonesty is what bothers me most. Dishonesty and ineptness. Massively

I do wish the Carter family had kept up the Thailand Travel Tragedy site.

And I also agree there is a concerted and deeply seated hatred of foreigners here.

May I also add, the "...gang from Chiang Mai.., " isn't from Chiang Mai but from Thai DDC and hopefully they're taking necessary testing samples, correctly.

The now established fact the women are young attractive and western in grossly disproportionate numbers leads me to a conclusion of deliberate.

From the news forum

http://www.thaivisa....-used-vehicles/

The ban is on used parts as told to me by contact at Ministry of Foreign trade.

I have just received permission to import my used car- from Malaysia, too ( I am US citizen ) took two weeks from application date .

Must apply in person at Ministry of Foreign Trade in Nonthaburi.

and must pickup permission letter too in person.-they will not mail.

Catch is : Must have owned the car one and half years before residing in Thailand So glad I did the tourist visa run thing fo rthe first couple of years as they begin counting residing from issuance of first non immig visa.

Then ; One needs 5 years of continuous B visas. ( have no idea about retirees )

Also Work Permit, bank accounts

pics of the car, all sides, inside and yourself with the car

Pic of VIN and Engine number ( if possible )

take all original docs with copies such as titles and receipt.

As usual, all pages of passport.

Helps to have your own company.

I'll keep posted on actual experience at Customs... ( the car is already here on temp import..the value from that temp import estimate is inflated to 700,000. I have been told it will not pertain to permanent import. )

I understand I declare the value to Customs, as with any product , which from used car sites in USA is about 3000 USD X 180 % tax roughly then minus - 80 % discount , (over 10 years old) and should get it in for about .....40,000? Beats buying a crappy generic- barf -styling box car here and I know it's maintained. Plus it's a left hand drive which I find to be an advantage in the land of middle of the road drivers, not to mention far more safer to exit when parked on busy roads.

Stay Tuned

I have just received permission to import so it can be done. It took about two weeks from the aplication which must be done in person in Nonthaburi .

First Ministry of foreign trade approves, then I take letter to the customs house of my choosing.

Any car over 10 years old gets an 80 % discount.

You tell the custom's agent how much its worth , declare it essentially as you would any other product.

However, foreigners will need to have had 5 years of continuous B visas. And a WP . It helped I have a business and numerous bank accounts and can show years of expenditures.

Think I will start a new thread with req documents

Actually when I commented the weather/wind was not too bad. But right now it is very strong winds and yes - there are no flights arriving right now.

I was 500 metres away from the airport when the One-Two-Go crash occurred and it was in similar weather.

Simon

That storm front was a rogue, pitch black too - I'll never forget it Sept 16.... jayzuz -Was it 2007 ? I see the airport radar is down, for what a couple of months now? There's mistake number one , and add # two, co pilot leaves the gain down on the aircraft doppler, and and then # three, like a down burst and you get another incident. Glad I'm not traveling, especially on a motasai- I'm not traveling at all. I'm right above Bang Tao, seen some gusts of 60 -70mph but it takes sustained winds of 72 mph to make a hurricane. Been through many, many, and many false scares too in 13 years of living in the north Caribbean near Cuba. Spent dam_n near 36 hours once in a Corvette parked in the garage of the Key West Hilton waiting out Hurricane Georges. With my cat. One of the reasons I picked this region to live is that usually hurricanes travel east to west, the hurricane hitting Burma a few years ago being quite rare. Can I ask please, Anyone know of better radar site , (IR particularly )than the Thai Meteorological site? I can't get past the Bangkok centered position screens and the south west map is covering the entire quarter of the globe, and appear to be un-zoomable. Google is such a crap search engine these days, all sponsored sites for crap... crap. Thanks SF

On 402 , about one kilometer toward Phuket town , from Big SuperCheap same side of the road, is are two used furniture / goods store, inside in the back of one, they do custom stuff, very good prices, too.

I am in contact just now with a person in Dept of Foreign Trade MInistry of Commerce and she is assuring me this ban concerns parts only.

I understand her English perfectly but still she may not understand my very direct queries, however she is asking me to send copies of passport / visa docs so as to ascertain my eligibilty get it all in orrder, so I am assuming, on hope, I can still get this done. It isn't horribly expensive on an older car that was owned for one year within my own country - AND having been here a certain amount of time under B visa , etc WP one year etc etc

.. and it's already here on a temp import, ( 6 months per year allowed. )

BTW She expressed disappointment as to the govt policies on foreigner investment,

Please pm me if you would like the contact number.

Alas, another advantage to menopause.

I once upon a time stocked up on them from Boots as it was the cardboard style most simiar to Tampax brand. Just cotton no perfumes, etc., though I guess bleached w ... dioxins? At least the tube is bio-degradable. Those plastic platex pink horrors are all over US east coast beaches. ( <deleted> Trout it's called.)

I disliked OB too, for hygienic reasons, who wants to dig around in a public loo, and it wasn't absorbent enough. I have used two at a time in fact. MAybe that's how one got " lost " as that other woman was saying.

Maybe that is why Thai women prefer pads, they haven't had a decent choice of tampax.

yes, weird the entire aisle of pads and nothing but.

Once on another forum they were ediscussing why Thai women wore granny panties so often , I had to explain 6th grade female hygiene to them.

The US has traditionally viewed east Asia as a grouping of 'developing economies' including Japan up through the 1980s. As such, they have eschewed placing high tarrifs on their imports because the idea is they couldn't pose any real threat to the domestic market anyway. But, in the late 70s, Japan started making really big motorcycles, Honda Goldwing being the most notable but all 4 of the main Japanese bike makers went up into the 1000cc + category. Harley Davidson, the last American bike maker, was on the verge of bankruptcy and people lobbied congress to pass a special big-bike tarrif on imports over 700cc. This tarriff was to be about 100% of the bike's cost. As a result, the Japanese scrapped a lot of their big air cooled bikes and came out with a whole new line of water-cooled 700cc bikes (water cooled bikes can produce way more power than air cooled because they run cooler and can use higher compression rations). This got them through the life of the law (it was a temporary measure that expired in 4 years, I believe). But many people complained that a 100% tarriff was outrageous, even for a protectionist measure. Here, they are routinely slapping %150-%300+ tarriffs on imports. Want a new BMW 5 series? Good, you're going to pay for 4 of them and give the other three to the benevolent government. Yet, somehow, this place continues to chug along! I have an MBA and am earning a PhD in International Business right now and every single thing I have ever learned in business school says that Thailand could not possibly survive economically, and still it does. If I could figure out how, I might well have the subject for my dissertation.

Simple. Sex sells.

motorcycles, sedans, pick-ups and vehicles that carry more than seven passengers.

So what else is left? Is Thailand the only country in the world with such a bizar law ?

Well they helpfully left sportscars out of the list...

Or did they? I noted that " Sedan "clause too as I was just about to import my car from Mlaysia , which is a two door, what I know as a coupe, having just procured the necessary one year visa and all the other load of paper which changed from phone call to phone call.

. So are two door" coupes "permitted?? I think that is a translation error and they mean all passenger cars.

Is the new law in effect or when will it be? I swear I really was about t omake the trip to Bangkok to apply for the permit as is required.

BTW This car is worth t about $ 2500 USD maybe, in the US, on a really good day.

In Malaysia valued at about $ 7000 USD, (imported duty free under MMSH ) In Thailand can you believe -valued $ at 27, 000 USD on the temporary import assessment.

This is a deal breaker with Thailand , I'm afraid. Had it with the inconsistencies, the utter.... well can't really say what I think due to forum rules but suffice to write I deeply regret the money I've invested.

It doesn't help when The NAtion(alist) is printing on the front page stories about a Thai engineer at NASA who is predicting earthquakes from solar activity.

Sorry cannot locate a link but t was on Sunday's front page, two weeks ago under an article about Phuket panicking

A year or so ago, same guy he was warning about a planetary alignment causing earthqualkes- not that he isn't on to something but maybe the rumour was founded on his statements.

I blame Phuket Wan for the panic, that guy needs to learn the difference between a warning and a watch. BIG difference .

Ispent a while living in hurricane zones so I know allabout media hype, thrives on worry.

RE the Indo earthquake, I simply went to US Geo Survey S sites and knew there was no danger whatsoever from any tsunami .

Recently I started a business, a Co. Ltd. recreational service type enterprise, and have been employing 4 Thai in order to procure a WP and one year B visa. II am acting as manager

Now I think maybe leaving every 90 days isn't such a hardship and far cheaper and less hassle than trying to make up work and paying workers I don't really need, two is sufficient at this time. .

If I give up my B, and instead get a retirement visa, can I still have the business? What about a tourist visa? Seems lots of people are residing in Thailand on those

I understand technically I would not be able to work, but I don't see how anyone is really going to check to see if I'm,

" managing," or not.

Thanks in advance for any reply