Monkeypants

when in Rome do as the romans, don't you Yanks know this ?

If you want the perfect cr@p pizza then have it in America.

You guy's whine to much, not to much, but over the top as ever.

Moan moan moan moan.

And yes I have been to the states,

Wouldn't go again though

Cos the yorkshire puddings are cr@p!!!

Have you tried Ian McNamara at Siam Ikat? ([email protected]/[email protected])

If any one knows of any houses for rent on Koh Chang could you please let me know. I'm looking for to rent 6 months or more. I've searched high and low on the net and this forum but keep coming up empty handed so any info at all would really be appreciated.

Thanks

Camster

I seem to remember that Ian rents his house out to visitors to the island, I believe that it is a house on stilts in the sea, in the fishing village area.

I never lock my baggage with a conventional lock, seems to me that they are too easy too access, but what I find that works really well as a lock and a ditterent is the plastic ties that you might put round wheel trims etc.

If you can find any competant of the above mentioned,

please send them to Phetchabun

Do Thai tv sets have a scart output

I am thinking of bringing with me from the UK a wireless sender to operate further tvs video etc from the UK, the ones I have seen all have a scart connection, perhaps I need to buy a scart to AV adapter from the UK?

My wife who I married 10 months ago runs a business in Thailand and needs to be there quite a bit but I would like to see if I can get her a Uk passport as its so much better for travelling easily ie no visas for many places. Can she get this without having to live in the Uk for 2 years, can she accumulate time here over a longer period? Would a baby make any difference? I would like us both to have the choice when older of either staying in Thailand or staying in the Uk or is this just going to be impossible? She cant really leave her business for more than about 3 months per time.

In order for your wife to be able to apply for a British passport, she has to reside in the uk for minimum 3 years and firstly become a British citizen.

I would say the visit visa is the only way for your immediate plans.

Later on in life when you may decide to live in the UK then on current regulations you would apply for a settlement visa based on marriage

Tilipia

I agree 100% it happens with sweet corn factories, tomato factories, tobacco basically any small factory that is not financially secure.

Then when you deal with the big boys, CP and the works they pay ontime as far as I know, but they have you so screwed down on price and quality that you are hardly treading water.

So true, last year CP wanted me to upgrade the farm with automatic feed-system and I would have to buy a 10-wheel truck to transport the feed as well, total 5mill baht I asked them if I would get paid more for the chicken, and the answer was no, more like the opposite, so I said no to do the upgrade, and they terminate my contract with them. These changed was CP's own idea, not requirements from the EU, it is simply CP's way to get farmers to quit...what a nice company they are

Regards

Why would CP want you to quit, ?

It just doesn't make any business sense whatsoever?

I have just taken over an established 12,000 capacity broiler farm, built in the last 3 years, all top fans and generator back up, although not automatic feed, but automatic water supply, and Saha Farms come and take away the chikens at approx 45 days, with there own trucks, labour etc.

I am hoping that the Thai broiler market is coming out of the bird flu recession, but I know its a gamble.

One thing that doe's worry me is the price per kilo, and the fact that they do not weigh the chickens as they are loading them into the crates, but they tell you the weight when it reaches the factory.....

All my Thai relations have chicken farms along with fish, and various fruit and veg is always for sale, all have new cars/trucks and are doing quite well out of it, despite the downturn in production over the last 2/3 years.

They used to be able to have a stock turn 5/6 times a year, this is now down to only 4..

CP want the farms to stop, because there is an overproduction of chickens at the moment, the export market is down big time, and EU have set a max limit on what Thailand can export to the EU.

Before the bird-flu it was a ok business, there were about 8-9 companies who did contract farming, now it is down to around 5, and they do talk together. They are in total control of how much profit or loss you will make, They supply the day old chicks, the feed, the medicine, the transport, and they buy the chickens back from you.....They control everything, so no chance of making money if they dont want you to.

Regards

Thankyou Tilapia,

But I still can't see why the major growers would want you to either make very little, or even worse no profit at all.

They would be out of business along with the contract farmer in no time.

I reckon I have got it.........

The very fact that to build a decent sized broiler house costs around 1.2 mill and that the majority of thai contract farmers get a business loan from the bank in order to set up, then t CP for example, would pay back the loan payment to the bank before paying the farmer the nett price, after feed vaccine etc.

In effect, the farmer is trully locked into the deal and could not, even if he wanted to, get out.

Tilipia

I agree 100% it happens with sweet corn factories, tomato factories, tobacco basically any small factory that is not financially secure.

Then when you deal with the big boys, CP and the works they pay ontime as far as I know, but they have you so screwed down on price and quality that you are hardly treading water.

So true, last year CP wanted me to upgrade the farm with automatic feed-system and I would have to buy a 10-wheel truck to transport the feed as well, total 5mill baht I asked them if I would get paid more for the chicken, and the answer was no, more like the opposite, so I said no to do the upgrade, and they terminate my contract with them. These changed was CP's own idea, not requirements from the EU, it is simply CP's way to get farmers to quit...what a nice company they are

Regards

Why would CP want you to quit, ?

It just doesn't make any business sense whatsoever?

I have just taken over an established 12,000 capacity broiler farm, built in the last 3 years, all top fans and generator back up, although not automatic feed, but automatic water supply, and Saha Farms come and take away the chikens at approx 45 days, with there own trucks, labour etc.

I am hoping that the Thai broiler market is coming out of the bird flu recession, but I know its a gamble.

One thing that doe's worry me is the price per kilo, and the fact that they do not weigh the chickens as they are loading them into the crates, but they tell you the weight when it reaches the factory.....

All my Thai relations have chicken farms along with fish, and various fruit and veg is always for sale, all have new cars/trucks and are doing quite well out of it, despite the downturn in production over the last 2/3 years.

They used to be able to have a stock turn 5/6 times a year, this is now down to only 4..

She will not make it to the UK, if you do not act as sponsor, but her thinking that her brothers can come here and work on the basis of marriage to you, is ludicrous.

I don't know how you would go about a divorce, Particurlarly if she doesn't want to.

Are you in the UK now.?

Thanks! yes I am back in UK, so if i never sponser her she definitely cant make it to UK? I'm so worried about everything, she has nothing of mine only my address(which is rented) my work email(gulp) and mobile number..

Never say never, but it would be extremely unlikely that she would get a visa without you being the sponsor. She could of course marry/obtain another fiance,sponsor, and come in that route, but whether she would bother to find you is another issue.

Good luck

She will not make it to the UK, if you do not act as sponsor, but her thinking that her brothers can come here and work on the basis of marriage to you, is ludicrous.

I don't know how you would go about a divorce, Particurlarly if she doesn't want to.

Are you in the UK now.?

DNFTT

One can only assume you already have frequent flyer membership and flying on an airline that gives you an additional 10 kilos allowance with that membership.

What airline does that ?

Although it's getting harder to find, some airline frequent flyer programs still offer it on signup. Most FFP's offer increased baggage allowance after you've qualified for the next tier.

It's also worth checking with the airline if they have any special baggage allowances. It's not advertised but some airlines from the Middle East have free increased baggage allowances (route dependent) for passengers travelling East to SE Asia. Saudair was one of these airlines although I haven't used them for a while.

Here's a couple that offer additional baggage allowance on signup.

Gulf Air

FFP Blue

Activity - none - This is the entry level of the programme.

10 kgs extra baggage allowance on flights with Gulf Air, Gulf Traveller or Oman Air.

Oman Air Sindbad

FFP Green

Sindbad Green is the entry level of membership. You earn this level of membership automatically when you enroll in Sindbad.

You are guaranteed an excess baggage allowance of 10kgs as a Green member.

Qatar airlines also, I think you have to have recieved your membership card first though

From memory its 15 kgs extra?

One other thing ... you cannot have one bag that weighs more than 32kg that is the max that any airline will allow, International rules I think.

We are having the same problems with Saha farms, Interim payments and delays on recieiving the monies owed

If it's more than a few thousand pounds - I'd do the telegraphic transfer from the UK - and keep the forms. (that way you're allowed to take the money back out of the country again, as you have the proof it was transferred in. - and this is the only way to do it if you're buying a condo in your own name - not an issue with Land, as you can't own it in your own name).

Just make sure that you repeatedly specify that the transfer should be in Sterling - as conversion to Thai baht outside of Thailand is a very bad idea.

If it's only a few thousand, and you're converting physical notes, then the private money changing places will generally give slightly better rates than the banks. (Personally I use Siam Exchange opposite the Siam Discovery Centre - mainly because it's easy to get to from the Skytrain. - there are others...)

If it's Traveller's cheques, then the banks are probably your best bet (as the private money changers don't like taking large amounts of travellers cheques).

One thing to always remember - NEVER convert money to Baht outside Thailand. The FX spreads here are far better than you get in the UK.

Is there a limit on how much i could transfer to my Bangkok Bank Account?As i keep comining across the 30% thing?

Well as it happens I am in the process of sending money from the UK.

I spoke to the bank Ayudha, and they said that I could transfer not more than 600,000.00 baht in a lump sum

I can do this as many times as I want and that the 30% withholding thing won't take affect, It wouldn't anyway if I sent larger amounts but I would have to prove where the money came from and that it was for land purchase, house purchase.

So I sent over £7500 in STERLING, and had Ayudha bank do the exchange, I got 68.5 baht to the pound, this was yesterday.

I have to do this 3 times to get my money there, the bank charges were £21 to send and a small commission to pay at the Thai bank

I would make sure that the Bangkok bank operate on the same principals afterall TIT

Hope this helps

Heinz baked beans are the UK's best selling canned food, can you stock those ?

Yes got to have Heinz beans. The Thai ones are toooooo sweet

Good English sausages would be great, Lincolnshire , cumberland etc

The ritz on soi yomato is my preffered place for an English brekie mmmmmmmm

As the OP is happy with the replies so far, If I may hijack this thread for a while,

I am looking to buy some sort of quad bike, nothing to powerfu, ie not 500cc, for driving around on the farm, could be new or used, can anyone advise of where I can buy one, preff Pattaya.

cheers

Yes agreed,

The Thai consulate will issue the visa and you cannot ask them to post date it to a specific date, and yes you could enter thailand anytime and including the last day of the visa and get a 90 day stamp.

I have flown biz class with China airlines in April, I would rather fly Etihad/Qatar/Emirates economy than china biz class

Rubbish in flight entertainment, service very poor on bkk-ams leg, cos its a night flight. No AVOD, limited number of films to watch, and drab cabin interior, and rubbish food.

I have travelled with China and Etihad etc, I have a gold card with china airlines, these were in the days before Etihad Qatar was a viable route to get to LOS, I used my miles up to upgrade to biz class with China, just to get my monies worth out of them. But that is the last time that I will use them. Etihad, or Qatar are my favoured airlines, for future flights to LOS

This one in Phetchabun

Just thinking.... with the marital assets 50/50 thing ....... You'll have to excuse me its early, but here goes ...

If my wife Buys Land with a House already in situ and I sign the paper , Im signing away rights to the House as well !?

If I buy Land and then build a House Later with my (our) money, I'll have 50/50 claim to the House !?

Jubby

Not exactly, you can own the bricks and mortar, but you cannot own the land that it sits on, and at anytime that your other half wants to sell the land she can, irespective of who owns the house, unless you get a lease on the land for 30 years from your other half at which point you own the lease for the land and house. ok?

Marriage is a 50/50 thing .....But the reason for you to sign the official form at the land office is to say that you as a non Thai national cannot bring the land into a 50/50 dispute if the need arises because you a non Thai cannot own land.... thats it.

Guess I have a claim to some Thai soil after all?

ummmmm'....... nope

Come on you don't think by someone by-passing the correct procedure that this entitles you to own soil, do you?

Have 3 adopted dogs

dug dig

dot det

ting tong

Toast (where we are ) is ......num pang ping

Heres a few pics I took in April,

Just outside Issan though.