new2here

The shipment is one single entity and in most cases, customs can’t/won’t “split” an inbound shipment to remove any prohibited items .. commonly it will be allowed in, as one whole shipment… or refused as one whole shipment. As far as the legality to import lemon grass goes, there can often be different rules for commercial importers of X product compared to a private party importing the exact same commodity… sometimes it’s the quantity being imported, how it’s labeled/packaged, required paperwork required etc.

I guess for me, the issues i have are that (since I can recall) “medicine” now appears to be viewed as a commerical activity and not just as “medicine”…. and, for the most part, the whole Covid issue is now so heavily politicized and polarized. Yes, medicine has largely always been a commerical activity - drug companies, for-profit hospitals— yes, they have all existed for quite some time..: but… IMHO, today it just “feels” like medicine is first viewed through the lens of a for-profit narrative and no traditional medicine The other part is the politicization and polarization that it’s taken. I’ve effectively “lost” some people that pre-covid, i would call “friends” — sure, not super close friends, but friends… however, today the two of us are just not able to “agree-to-disagree” but have morphed into personal vitriol, and worse…. So, for me, this would be one of the largest parts of the whole Covid issue that has really “hit home” for me: I kind of don’t think anyone is really going to say this “new normal” is/was better than the normal pre-covid… but for me at least, this is where we are - like it or not…. what i wonder is what is it going to take in order for society as a whole, to get back closer to what was reality pre-covid— AND if that’s even possible today given the level of mistrust, politicization and control.

I haven’t really followed this case closely, but from the on-and-off-again media interest it takes, my own opinion is that it seems to be “too far gone” — be that time and the number of “side tracks” it’s undergone… for any real investigation to be done by any “domestic” entity AND have it be widely accepted as credible. I just think it’s been too long… taken too many questionable turns, that even IF a resolution comes to be, i’ll bet that whatever that outcome is, jr won’t be widely accepted and viewed with suspicion or distrust. My guess, at this point, the only real way you could move forward AND have the process and results be accepted is to let a wholly external (ie non-Thai) disinterested entity do the investigation … right now, pretty much every entity who has “touched” the case, has/had some level of accountability to it.. so their actions or inactions could easily be seen through the lens of a self-interest move and not one based on law and facts… that’s why i think the only way you’ll even have a shot at getting to the real facts is to let a purely independent, purely disinterested party do it.. but that to me is the catch… be careful asking the question as you might not like the answer.

This raises a good point to be mindful of. Most people are - understandably so - focused on the testing/documents required for entry/destination, it’s wise to ALSO check what: a) your airline or airlineS require as far as testing, b) your connection country (if applicable) requires. While i would say that it’s a rather low probability, it’s not entirely impossible that either a or b might also have testing/paperwork mandates and they might not always be the same as that of your destination.

I think this is a YMMV situation as i did have an e-queue (based on my 13 digit from MP) but was told at the office that as a non-Thai, i’m not eligible… so… Im not sure what the official answer is, as i’ve not seen anything that definitively says one way or the other. in the end, the office staff did “take care of me “ in that they gave me an appointment the very next Friday (i’m free on Friday’s) despite the foreigners queue list being 100% full.

I went to the Sukhumvit office (next to BTS Bang Chak) and it’s fully open.. but… all DL issues are “by appointment” only.. they don’t do walk-ups Thais use the DLT E-QUEUE app, but foreigners must make an appointment manually with the office. Even though you may have a 13 digit # (be there via pink card, or more recently via Mor Phrom) they don’t accept those for the e-queue. (I made an e-queue booking using my Morh Phrom and it was rejected at the DLT, but they nicely gave me a foreigners appointment for the very next week despite the list being full…. because i had already waited for about one month already via the e-queue platform) As noted, appointments at Sukhumvit are fully booked for MONTHS out — I recall that late March was the first days i saw with openings readily available.

Just one man’s report I made an appointment for last week - using the DLTs “e-queue” system.. but when i showed up, they said “e-queue for thai only”. hmmm. but they were nice enough to give me an appointment for the very next week - despite it being fully booked. Note: just looking at their foreigners appointment log, the first dates with openings is march 2022!!! I arrived at 7:30… there is a dedicated line/window for foreigners.. Thais have a fist batch queue at 7:30.. for foreigners there are only 2 batch times “8am to 9am” and 9:30-11:00.. the staff took me right at 8am as i was there early. Like Immigration at CW, that staff at the check-in desk does a document check, puts all papers into order and gives you the form for renewal. Then you go to the processing/data entry window .. Here they prepare your application - (re)check all your papers again.. If it’s all correct you go to the training window.. IF you have done the online “e-training” abs can show proof of it, then they just stamp your paper.. if not, they schedule you for a time to watch the required video. I had done it already, so i was passed onto the next step.. next is color blindness test and reflex test .. 5 minutes and easy. After that, it’s to the picture taking, payment and license receipt. Today i was in the door exactly at 8am and was out the door with my new 5yr license in 63 minutes. They asked for and took only the paperwork that is listed on their website - nothing more and nothing less. As i have done in the past, and as the rules do permit, I used my valid work permit in lieu of a immigration residence letter or embassy residence letter. Fees paid exactly as the website says. All in all, easy and follows the rules and website .. the only “bad” thing is appointments seem hard to get/limited.

To me, IF there is a proper court order / judgement, then the insurer should pay as per the court order… now that said, IF the insurer wants to (or if relevant law allows) to file an appeal with a relevant court AND if by doing so this filing also stops any judgments from being implemented- then that’s their right under law as well. To me, the fact that insurer has now apparently filed some type of complaint against one of the parties involved does not then translate into the insurer not complying with an order of the court which was pre-existing.. IF the COURT decides that the mere act of filing a police complaint warrants freezing the existing settlement payment - then that’s what it is.. but i don’t think the insurer can or should be allowed to largely act as the see fit - especially as there appears to already be a proper court order in existence. i do agree that it’s not unheard of for an insurer to use the legal process to recoup some/all of the settlement money they paid to their policyholders or other parties … so, to that end, i can see what MIGHT be going on.. but again… i think who gets paid what, by whom and when should be matters for the judiciary to decide and not left to one of the parties to the suit and one who has a vested financial interest on any action or judgment

JMT is JMT Network Services and are a fairly large firm that is an collection agency specializing in certain sectors - retail banking among them. A few of the major banks use them - Krungsri among them. So, to that end, JMT is real… The legalities of the debt, any statutory relief a debtor may have and the rights or the creditor to pursue any actions would be something you’d want to get clear knowledge of. As a collection agency, JMTs collection activities ultimately fall under the Bank of Thailand’s jurisdiction.

I am not aware of any a language in the relevant consumer banking law nor language in the AMLO regulations that explicitly establishes a hard-cap for deposits made into accounts. What the banks DO have to do is essentially “know your customer” which is the current mantra publicly put forth by the BoT and to a degree, AMLO. So, while there is no stated hard cap, i am quite sure that the bank does monitor - via programmatic means- your accounts and will manually review any transactions or series of transactions that the banks systems flag OR that the BoT or AMLO, deem worthy of a further review. AMLO sets forth a wide range of transaction types, account ownership forms, etc that all have some varying degree of regulatory requirements… but i don’t see anything that in and of itself sets a cap on deposits alone.

Do they welcome farang? Yes, i think they do. While i get that the latest IM visit didn’t go as expected, that, to me, isn’t a fair nor accurate measurement nor representation of how “welcoming” Thailand is.. or isn’t. i say they are - only because they do offer a fairly broad range of visa classes that do legitimately cover a decent percentage of that situations a non-citizen may be. As is with almost every country, Thailand does have its own nationally imposed internal selection criteria … those that they’d prefer… and …. those that they don’t… that, to me, isn’t all that unique to thailand… lots of countries do this by virtue of visa costs, eligibility requirements etc. Yes, thailand could do more to make the process of coming to and remaining legally in thailand easier… very true… and that same could be said for many other countries as well. in all, i can’t say that thailand is (IMHO) overtly UNwelcoming to non-citizens per se, but you will always find individuals who don’t perhaps showcase the most foreigner-friendly demeanor toward them, however that’s vastly different than a direct or even implied national policy of unwelcome them.

At the end of the day, insurers, like most “for-profits” are principally designed to maximize their profits .. and that does mean paying only those claims that fall, in it’s entirety, within the policy wording.. While insurers so do push the image of “we’re here for you” i think it’s always smart to remember where everyone’s “base” is at.. The consumer wants as much covered as possible, and for the absolute lowest cost — as they should The insurer wants as little paid as possible, and for the highest cost - as they also should. So, the middle is where both really should meet - to me, that’s the actual policy wording, decorations page, exclusions etc. >>So long as<< the insurer properly followed ALL of the policy language, any exceptions/exclusions. then they haven’t done anything wrong at all… the opposite is also equally true … >>IF the claim meets ALL<< of the language, then it should be paid without issue. These posts are always hard to judge as fair and full disclosure is (obviously) lacking - not due to deliberate concealment - but sometimes due to pure lack of access to all the case facts .. and with most all forms of insurance, the details, the “little” stuff really matters. The part about the hospital saying/implying it’s a valid claim is (IMHO) of little value as they aren’t a representative of the insurer and (i’ll reasonably guess) don’t have access to the specific policy and wording.. the “agent” i think is a bit different, but here too- an agent may in fact be just an authorized sales agent - and lacks any authority to act on claims.

normally i tend to favor less regulation … however .. when it comes to a service like mobile phone/data, and the impact it has on so many aspects of life and commerce, i would be a bit more cautious and would want a exhaustive review of the proposed merger and it’s realistic short and long term impacts on consumers. I can’t say if it’s a good thing of bad thing… and i can’t say that mergers, in and of it self, are bad.. only that i think a fair review of its impact on both the competitive landscape and consumer is warranted.

That’s exactly what I was told too when i got my AZ #1…. and based on that 8wk number, i was able to get my #2 exactly at the start of week #8

I agree.. I think there’s a balance to be struck here.. i agree that the principle goal or mission of PMCU (Property Management Chulalongkorn University) should be to: 1) manage their real estate portfolio of CU in such a manner that maximizes the present financial returns, and 2) helps to ensure the long term financial stability of the university …. BUT I also think #1 and #2 can and SHOULD be done through the “value lens” of Chulalongkorn not acting purely as a private for-profit enterprise, but principally as a PUBLIC entity charged with operating in the best interest of not only current and future students but also the kingdom as a whole.

Good point… My guess only is that those who are already here aren’t even a part of the consideration or a part of the conversation Why? Without trying to sound cold or insensitive, my GUESS (guess how the RTG sees it) is that when it comes to those foreigners who are: a) married to a Thai national or b) are the registered parent of a Thai citizen, the RTG doesn’t HAVE TO put a lot of effort into attracting them to come nor trying to retaining them once here— they are either already here or will chose to remain here on their on volition.. so from the RTGs viewpoint, why expend effort into a group that will largely voluntarily chose to remain here already? From MY thinking putting effort into improving the conditions for this group would be a good idea as they can then be natural promoters of Thailand as a place to come, stay, work, retire or start a family.. so I myself see a lot of value … but my guess is the RTG views this matter quite different .. they don’t need to really invest a lot into a group that largely will already chose to stay or whose situation already ties them to Thailand.

I went to my local office (Silom near ITF) and after a fairly lengthy conversation, the desk manager understood what i needed and why. He, in turn, called someone at the office where cards are actually printed. The printing office evidentially told the Silom desk manager that a new card can be made AND that when a bew card is issues, the dates of validity also change. New cards come automatically with a 2 year window of validity. Based in this I believe that my new card will have a December 64 to November 66 window. It also appears that local SSO offices can’t manually override this 2yr window as the computer screen doesn’t have a option to alter dates for cards. I was able to see the office manager as he navigated the process. In my case, I requested a new card because: 1) my old (card still in my hand) has my old passport which expired earlier this fall. 2) I wanted a new card as my old card shows an expiration (that 2yr window) of September 65 and my current yearly extension of stay expires in December 65. A new card *should* be dated such that the entire period of my current years extension falls within the cards 2yr validity window, therefore assuring the Pass system that my SSO derived insurances valid for the time required.

Disclosure: I’m not of this visa class nor situation, so i don’t really have “skin in the game” per se but… i’d wonder if at some point the government can set up some kind of “uninsurables” pool … kind of like what some countries/places have for drivers who can’t obtain basic coverage to legally operate a motor vehicle. The underwriters side of the pool is made up all the insurers eligible to and sell policies - and each one is then assigned and required to underwrite a proportional percentage of the applicants in the pool, in line with each underwriters share of the market .. larger insurers who sell more policies would naturally have to then take a larger percentage of the pool and so on… The government sets the rates for the pool - so it’s consistent across everyone’s.. and the exact coverage, limits, deductions etc … so for the insured, it doesn’t matter who ultimately they are assigned to for their pool coverage. id wonder if the MoPH could do something like this - so that EVERYONE can be insured - and at rates that are somewhat fair, set equally and because the government sets what is covered, limits and any exclusions, there’s no risk of underwriting denial nor government rejection when/if you use said insurance.

I use a traditional bank deposit box. I can also specify who can have access. So the mere fact of having a key doesn’t automatically grant a key holder access. They are all climate controlled as well. Downside is that you only have access during bank days/hours and only the larger branches have them (so not the best idea if you might need ready or unplanned immediate access). Fee wise, it doesn’t appear to be expensive (around 1500/yr for smallest box) but can be free/included with some of the banks higher level banking packages (ie KBank Wisdom etc) i also store some valuables like a classic Rolex and a star sapphire.. because i choose to store it using a professional storage solution, my insurer cuts the loss/ theft premium substantially.

I think that the whole cashless payment notion is still largely in its infancy stage .. as such, the uptake is going to take some time as the consumer will have to get used to it, merchants will have to adapt their in real cashiering process and infrastructure as well. There are cost savings.. many banks charge merchants a fee to accept cash deposits.. for example, i know that smaller business accounts at BBL pay around 1 - 1.5% for the deposit of unprocessed (ie loose) coins and i believe there is also a currency handling fee for larger deposits as well. Security side there’s the oblivious reduction of theft/loss of paper currency/coins, but to be fair, cashless system introduce essentially new risks as well. Operationally, I’d bet there’s a savings too.. by going cashless you now essentially don’t need a back office cashier to count the incoming and outgoing cash. Lastly, I think there is or will be a speed benefit too.. in that i recall some platforms make funds from any cashless sale available to the merchant in near real-time so the merchant can then turn right around and make purchases/payment without the requisite day or two to allow for the physical deposit and account crediting. I agree that in some cases cashless is slower than cash.. but i myself don’t see the trend reversing, and think as more people experience it, get accustomed to it and the whole architecture around its use and acceptance improves- speed will improve.

I myself, think going digital IS the better way to go all around; no doubt in my mind.… and I think for the larger, perhaps more tech-savvy countries that IS how it will go.. but.. i also think that in the longer term, WHATEVER the system ends up being, it’s going to have to be one that ALL the member (that’s countries who recognize WHO) countries (and private players like airlines etc) agree to and can successfully adopt.. In my head it’s kind like a “lowest common denominator” thing.. Right now we are still at the very early stages, so i get why there are multiple formats, systems and processes to verify ones vax status.. and why there may be legal challenges to it… but i do think that sooner or later some of these issues will be addressed and hopefully one common platform that is/will be accepted by all emerges and is used.

Myself, I like the part about ‘unless you are returning directly from thailand’ part.. that to me makes it now possible for shorter family visits overseas and even business trips they don’t HAVE TO be 21 days or more longer to be eligible… For me, when i go back to the US, I tend to make my trips roughy around 2 weeks.. so allowing those who came right from Thailand to be eligible is a big plus. In theory, i could now make trips to visit friends - who all reside on one of the currently-listed countries - and stay for only a few days, and be eligible for return to Thailand under this program. What Id be interested to see is at what price point will the various common insurers be setting premiums for USD$50k policies as that seems to be the magical number now; not USD$100k as is now. Lastly, while there appears to be no full/formal list of eligible hotels for the one-night-waiting just yet, it would be interesting to see how that prices out. I’d reasonably guess that there will be a range of hotels; so a range of prices for that part, but what about the test itself.. Under the ASQ package system, if you broke it down, the medical component was a fairly large percentage of the total ASQ price - so it will be interesting to see how these one-night-waiting rates shape up.

It’s here… just before the point where the purple MRT line makes the turn to follow Rattanatibeth road.

actually it kind of makes sense. they basically copied the much older and established Yellow Fever booklet in terms of size, color, format etc.. so… to that end, I think it makes good sense — copy what has a proven record of success and international recognition…

plan to be there a little before 6:00am— say 5:30 to 5:45am… that way you get the lowest queue number.. the later numbers require you to wait until the afternoon or go home and come back .. so if you get there very early, you’ll probably get a low queue number and be seen/processed in the AM, therefore little waiting around time. Be sure you have paper copies of passport, 2-jab certificate.. they will ask to see them and will verify your jab status using the QR code.