Confuscious

"What made you decide that you wanted to live in Thailand" I came to Thailand in 1999 to handle a project at a big Petro-Chemical company in Rayong. The project lasted nearly 2 years. During that time, I meet a woman from Chaiyaphum and when the project was finished we decided to stay together and stay in Thailand. A few friends who were also working on that project and who were already living in Thailand and myself decided to setup our own company in Korat. My girlfriend became preignant in 2002, whilst being sterilized, and I decided to marry for the sake of the child. From that day, my life was a hell. Not because of Thailand, but because of marital problems and in 2009 we divorced. My wife did not want to take care of the child and I had to take care of the child. Retired and the best years of my life, I had to spend them on bringing up another child. Not exactly how I had planned my retired life. "how long have you lived here" i have been living in Thailand more than 20 years now. "and do you have any regrets ?" Yes, a lot of regrets. Although I had some bad encounters in Thailand, I can not say that Thailand itself was bad. Thailand had his up and downs like any cpuntry. My regrets are mainly that I gave up my dream to spend my old days in a hacienda in the south of Spain for a Thai woman and a Thai child.

And what would the result be if they had subsribed an expensive insurance which would not cover the expenses because of "Pre existing diseases"? Nothing would be paid, zilch, nada, rien de knots. If Thailand is honnest about avoiding the unpaid health bills and the potential health risc of foreigners in Thailand, they would make a side system in the health care in which the foreigners could pay a fair monthly/yearly sum and get insured WITH pre-existing conditions.

I am pretty sure that most "tourists" have a health insurance. The problem is that most if these "tourists get involved in driving a big bike without license, driving a bike without helmet and security protection, getting involved in some sports that are excluded by the insurance company (YES, swimming is also a sport), etc. The tourist ends up in the Bangkok hospital or whatever and will need urgent brain surgery or whatever. After a few days, the bills are in the 7 digit range and the only possibility is to setup a GoFound.me appeal. Mostly, the hospital is left with huge unpaid bills. I can accept that this is a burden to Thailand, but there other solutions as require everybody to subscribe a very expensive insurance which at the end will not pay also. I have pre-existing diseases, but I could subscribe inot a PA insurance in Thailand (have it alread 15 years) very cheap. Insured amount is 1,000,000 baht. Yearly payment is about 6,000 baht. And every time I had an ACCIDENT, they paid the bill without asking questions.

For this category of foreigners, a monthly/yearly payment for health care could be levied. But it should be a fair amount.

Open letter to the Government, It is no rocket science to know that an insurance company is a company that calculate his risks and is in no way a social company to benefit anyone else than themselves. Forcing a health insurance in people, specially people over 50 with already underlying diseases, will benefit NOBODY. If someone in this age bracket would endup in a hospital with a severe disease, the insurance comaony will claim that this disease was "underlaying" and will not pay for the hospital costs. Thus leaving the hospitals and Thailand with huge unpaid bills, despite of paying huge soms for that insurance. A better and more effective system would be: 1. Appoint a GOVERMENT run health care to handle the health care for every foreigner who enter Thailand or who stays already in Thailand on a long term visa. 2. EVERY foreigner who enter Thailand or remain in Thailand would have to pay for health care insurance. 3. Foreigners living in Thailand on a Retirement Visa or a Thai spouse Visa are required to put the require 800,000/400,000 Baht into that helath care system instead of putting the funds in a Thai Bank. This sum will gain interests which will be used for the foreigner health care system. 4. On leaving Thailand, the foreigner will receive part or the whole paid insurance, depending on the case if he/she used the health care and how much has beem spend. This is only a guidance on how a better health care system for foreigners/tourists could be setup.

Why? I was FULLY RETIRED at the age of 47. No wealth, but a nice retirement.

In the '90's, I was working daily my shift. After my shift, I was every day (including the weekends 4 hours in the gym). I had a very strong body and nothing could stop me. Until December '95, when I suffered a stroke and I was initially completly paralyzed. Fortunatly, due to my strong body, I was back on my roots 6 months later. I lost several movement at my right side forever (could not write clear anymore and could not run> , but the was OK. I went back to work and a few months later back to the gym. Until December '97, when I suffered several heart attacks in a short time and went into a Coma. I recovered, but I had a Pacemaker and several Bypasses. I was not allowed to work anymore, go to the gym, etc.. Take care about what you say. Your health can change from one day to the other.

I have been collecting information on the rules already, and I can relocate to Spain without any problem. I can not post links to websites, but I have addresses of real estate companies, and for 25k Euro I can buy already a nice apartment in Alicante. Alicante has the whole year almost the same temperature as Thailand. I have the double nationality (Belgian/Spanish) and I speak both languages. On the issue of Thailand, I have lived here the past 20 years and almost every year someone came up with a new rule for the expats. Increasing of the funds; Change the income rules; Requiring crazy documents (TM30, Marriage certificate from the place where you had your marriage, Proof of income, etc.) The health insurance for elder people was "the final drip which started the bucket to overflow". I just pity the expats who invested all their money in a house, 1 or more luxury cars, etc.

I have taken the same decision, returning to Europe, for personal reasons. Can not find which benefit paying for a "20 year THAI Elite visa" could bring for me. I am 68 years old and I have been staying more than 20 years in Thailand now. Although I have been hospitalized in Thailand a few times, I always paid my bill without an expensive health insurance which would be worthless anyway. I wear a Pacemaker and it will need to be exchanged by the end of next year. Cost for the pacemaker on Thailand (without the surgery) is about 120KBaht. In Europe it is FREE (I am an European citizen). At my age, travelling back and forth to Europe for every heath issue, becomes a PITA. Also, I did got already the (bad) news that I will for 90% sure be enrolled for DIALYSE (3 times a week). DIALYSE every 3 days will be very expensive. In Europe, it is FREE. And I don't talk about other benefits that I would get when I would return to EUROPE. I don't see what taking an expensive 20 year visa or an expensive health care would benefit me. And just like me, there are thousands of aging retirees in Thailand who will take sooner or later the same decision.

Covid certificate now available as a chip implant.

You don't need to wait for the "not too distant future". I have read already many signs that the Visa requirements will double next year. 400 K will be 800 K and 800 K will become 1,200 Kbaht

What??????????? No rich and wealthy QUALITY TOURISTS spending billions of dollars in the new plan on opening Thailand? Impossible!!!!! Fake news!!!!!

I have a Foreign Currency account with UOB bank. On the Foreign Currency account, they don't provide a Bank book but a monthly letter with the Balance for that month. When I used this Foreign Currency account for the first time (2015), I presented the last 3 letters, signed and stamped by the bank and a ltter confirming that I had that sum for the last 3 months. Nevertheless, I was having a hell of a time to make the Immigration Officials to accept it. I went to the bank the next day and returned to immigration with a bank employee who explained to the head of Immigration the rules of the bank. Never had any problem since that day. Of course, EVERY immigration officer is allowed to change the rules according to which foot went first out of the bed that day ......

No clicking around or spend hours on trying to communicate. A "trick" to circumvent all these sites is : (I use chrome): 1 Right click on the "upgrade" button and chose "inspect" on the popup menu. 2. Click on the "upgrade" code (there is 1 code for the box and 1 code for the button) and click "delete". 3 "Paste" the following code where you deleted the code: <a id="smbutton" href="javascript:;" class="button large blue" style="float:right;" onclick="sendmessage();"><span style="width:200px;" tabindex="2" onkeydown="if (event.keyCode == 13) { sendmessage(); return false; }">Send Message</span></a> <a id="smbutton" href="javascript:;" class="button large blue" style="float:right;" onclick="sendmessage();"><span style="width:200px;" tabindex="2" onkeydown="if (event.keyCode == 13) { sendmessage(); return false; }">Send Message</span></a> You can send messages as normal.

The 7/11 trick works everywhere in Thailand. I live in Korat and I can assure you that it works here too.

My advice for you: If you want to meet girls/woman for whatever reason and you are here onlu for a limited period of time, forget the "Meeting Sites" approach and go for the "Direct" approach. No point to sit behind your computer the whole day and wait for the girl/woman to answer your message. Go sit outside a 7/11 shop, Family Market shop or for a walk at the local park and you will meet at least 10 girls/woman in no time. Most of them will make you an offer for sex right on the spot. If this doesn't work for you for whatever reason, find a local (motorbike taxi driver) to join you and do the talk with the girls/woman. By the way, most hotels have a notebook full of phone numbers of girls/woman to cater the tourist wishes. They are mostly only one phone call away and can be very pretty to show-off with. Another "Direct" approach, but not for the elderly tourists, is to go after sundown to a local disco club. Many Thai girls/woman hangs around there, waiting for a "fish" to take the hook. IF you want to take this apporach, I advise you to go with a group of friends rather than to go on your own. I remember in Sukhumvit in Bangkok a bar somewhere opposite Nana (was at cellar level) where most of the bargirls used to go look for a foreigner after their bar was closed. Finally, if you are not comfortable with meeting a girl/woman directly and want to go trough the meeting sites approach, there are lot of meeting sites with girls/woman who are waiting to catch a foreigner to "Update" their bank account. A lot of FREE sites for this purpose and gauranteed to find a catch. DateInAsia.com; Badoo.com; Tinder.com; Facebook Dating.com; Etc. If you look for something more "spicy", pay a small fee and go for the real thing. Naughty.com; Iamnaughty.com; etc. HTH

Oh dear...... Now the Thaifriendly team will be spending hours and days to see if it is true what you say and if it is true requesting them to change their ID. OMG

FAR BETTER SITES as Thaifriendly.com operate for free. Badoo, Tinder, DatinAsia. Facebook Dating, etc... I would pay if there was any service on Thaifriendly, but after looking at it I come to the conclusion that it is not worth paying for it.

FORGET THAIFRIENDLY!!! Thaifriendly does not let you communicate with any girl/woman unless you pay for a subscription. Thaifriendly mark almost every girl as "Important" and blocks the communication if you are not a paying member. Best of all, I have girls/woman on my list who didn't Login since 5 years and they are still marked as "Important". Far better sites on the internet without the stupid "Important".

A picture of te brave "father". https://bit.ly/3pn1kAn

You would be astonished by the amount of foreigners who are ready to send 500 Euro to a girl/woman who claims to be a friend and maybe promise them "Eternal love" whilst they are waiting for them to come to Thailand and marry. Mostly Arabs and south-European foreigners (Turkish). I've read an article in a local paper read by many woman which say that making money is very easy and publishing the details how to do it. Woman/girls in a lot of meeting sites and social media (Line, WhatsApp, etc.) are using this technique to fill their bank account and get a lot of money out of the guys (compared to whatever peanuts they would make by doing normal work). Specially now where they can claim that they have no work and no money because of Covid-19.

When is the public reconstruction of the crime? Maybe we can all go see how the low life did this?

For me, I made my choice last year already. Getting older and needing increasing health care made me chose for returning to Europe where I am entitled to (almost) free health care and use the money i will be saving to make trips to other countries I would like to visit. It is obvious that this government wants only wealthy foreigners who spend lots of cash in Thailand. Living in Europe, I am entitled by my country to have free health care (Europ Assistance), including worldwide repatriation when possible, om my holyday trips. I have been living in Thailand for 20 years now, but now it's time to look for a change for the better. I agree with the fact that Thailand wants to protect themselves from health care expenses from foreigners. But I fail to see how requiring an insurance from an old retired person, with some underlying disease will be a solution. The insurance, mo matter how expensive, will refuse to pay any bill if it can be connected to an underlying disease. A few months ago, a good friend of mine got a stroke and was hospitalised at the Bangkok hospital. He was not a poor guy and he had a good health insurance. After 2 months in intensive care, the hospital decided to "take the plug out" and he passed away. The insurance paid only 100,000 baht as he was siuffering from high blood pressure. The family didn't want to ay for the hospital bills and leaved the hospital with an unpaid bill with 8 digits.

BS A year ago, I was hospitalized urgently. After 3 weeks hospital, from which was 1 1/2 week ICU, I was released from the hospital. I went to the cassier and the total bill was only 35,000 baht (Military hospital Fort Suranaree). I don't require hamburgers and pizzas, with a 40" TV and all sport channels, when I am lying in a hospital. I feel very well with some other people in my room who gave a helping hand when nurses ware too busy. I go already 15 years to this hospital and I feel very good with their service. I don't need a Bangkok hospital with their exurberant bills.

If Thailand would use the interest on the 800,000 baht deposit to pay for some system of health care, most of the retirees would have a good health treatment when they fall ill. Most, if not all, the retiress who have deposit 800,000 baht on the bank don't get interest on that sum. Why not make the 800,000 bank deposit into a state funds which will provide health insurance with the interest on that sum of money? Too easy for the Thai ministers?