Here are 2 references about Covid test results:

The main list:  evidence that Covid tests give false results at DuckDuckGo

FDA: COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests Can Give False Positive Results – CBS Dallas / Fort Worth (cbslocal.com)  (Nov 2020)

U.S. FDA warns about false positive results from COVID-19 antigen tests | Reuters  (Aug 29 2020)

Thanks for all the well-meaning replies.  I feel aggrieved by the way I have been treated by the OZ system. I worked as a dental practitioner for an unblemished 52 years during which time I witnessed  hundreds of passport applications without remuneration, or thanks from the govt.   Apparently I was trustworthy enough for that job.  I find myself in this situation due mainly to the Covid-19 panic and not being able to apply for the pension on a trip booked for last March.

Government departments are making hand-outs of what must be many millions of dollars to people affected by the lockdowns.  I spoke to a Centrelink rep (with a foreign accent) a couple of times and requested a review but he was unmoved and pulled the "you must be in Oz to apply" chestnut. (They sat on my online application for 3 months). Besides that they falsely calculated I had an income of over $7000 a fortnight, but of course they did not want to admit that mistake. I applied for different bank loans but they were rejected because I have no income. Apparently the banks are better informed than Centrelink.  

Ubon Joe - I need your advice.

I have a Non-OA retirement visa permitted to stay until 18th December 2020.

At my last report I was told to return on the 6th December. 

Because of the Covid I was unable to return to Oz in March where I was going to apply for the pension

I made an application for a pension online in July but they rejected it last week because I was not in Oz at the time of the application.  

With no income I have used up a good part of my 800,000 baht in the bank.

Borders are still locked in WA and I don't fancy doing two weeks in quarantine due to the costs.

What do you see as my alternatives - if any  and what will be the possible consequences?

Thanks for your help guys. 

Do any of you own a 2JZ powered vehicle?  

Apparently they were often used as a replacement for original motors in different makes and models in Thailand. Imported from Japan where they were cheap.

Toyota Thailand does not support that motor as it was never officially imported in any Toyota model.

Mine is the stock standard early model 2JZ GE I'm considering to convert it to Turbo while its in pieces. 

Toyota 2JZ specialist mechanic 

   - anyone know of one in Thailand they could recommend to do a full rebuild?

Message to the government:

FOR GOD'S SAKE !!

JUST OPEN THE <deleted> BORDERS AND LET"S GET BACK TO NORMAL !!

In the area where I live the ground is very soft.  Recently they were building a new Tesco Lotus store nearby.

I saw them sink an 18 foot concrete column down to ground level in about 20 seconds (about 5 hits)

I have no idea why because they did not build on that section near the road, but further back.

The building was completed in about 2 weeks, complete with a coat of paint.

My apartment is over 100 Metres from the highway. Standing in the car park, every time a heavy truck thunders through you can feel the ground rise and fall like you're standing on a wave, and that was in the dry season.  I think this apartment must be built like a ship that's floating. No cracks visible.

Does anybody know who designed and built this boat?

It looks way too top-heavy to me.

Thanks Coremouse. I appreciate your input.

Yes I will look for an original tank like that one in the drawing.

A lot easier wIth all the correct accessories.

The DW40 sprayed around the intake manifold did not make any difference to idling.

I wonder if the problem is fuel starvation?

Seems logical if there is not enough fuel pressure.

I note that all the electrical connections are present next to each inlet port, however the little rubber hoses have been blocked with screws. I assume they had an important function as part of the fuel injection system?

I checked the plugs - they look new, no brown deposits, a little sooty that's all.

I gave the distributor cap and the rubber fittings around the plugs a good clean inside and out.  Now the idling is a lot smoother.  I also checked the cam alignment at TDC and they appear correct.  There were no indented marks on the pulleys, just some permanent marker on each one which makes me wonder if they were installed correctly.

Thanks Kwasaki

What area were you referring to?  Bangkok or elsewhere?

I tried road 117 and road 32 in Google maps but the results don't make sense.

Can anyone tell me where to find a good selection of used spare parts for Tata Xenon pickups?

I may need a few genuine spare parts from a dealer but I was hoping to find a place specializing

in breaking or wrecking Tata cars who can supply items like interior and chassis components at reasonable cost.

I'm in Bangkok but willing to travel up-country to find a good source.

Thank you for any help offered. 

I will try the WD40 spray around the intake and see what happens at idle.

Looking at getting a decent petrol tank I will have to remove 6 large bolts that hold the rear tray in place.  There are two curved seats where the gas cylinder used to be located. (see photo)

I wonder if I could get somebody to make a petrol tank out of an old steel gas cylinder ?

(noting major precautions needed before any welding or cutting).  Just need to weld on a filler tube and cap, a provision for a fuel-gauge sender and an outlet to the motor which reminds me, I have not seen a fuel pump yet - only a fuel filter near the tank. Is that a light bulb moment?  Where to look for a pump?

Also trying to make sense of the wiring on the Tata - it all seems to be Mickey Mouse wire that you'd associate with amateur electronics - very thin wires.

3 hours ago, canthai55 said:

I would look for an intake leak - symptoms described fit that to a Tee

1 hour ago, canthai55 said:

Once engine warm, you can spray WD40 around any areas you can't see. If the idle speed increases, you have found a leak.

If that don't help, could be a MAF, TPS, or the wiring connecting them to the ECU.

If I had to bet I would not think it was ignition related.

But I been wrong before !

I will try those tips thanks.  I did loosen the distributor but the improvement was right on the limit of adjustment.  I will remove the plugs and check if they have been changed in the last 30 years.  Could lead breakdown be a cause ?  It would not surprise me if the cam alignment was not correct before the timing chain was fitted. but I guess that would make it run very badly even at idle.  The engine type reminds me of an old Jaguar engine that I had experience with in a Mark 7 and and an XK-120 back in the early 70's.

A few more pics of the engine. Note the "no name" camshaft cover. Probably had a Toyota sticker originally.  Note the gear lever alterations and makeshift boot.  I will listen (with a bit of hose) to see if I can detect a leak around the inlet manifold.  If there's nothing there I will try moving the distributor slightly. I have a timing light but it's buried deep in a storage trunk with some stuff I brought from Australia (that's another long sad story). 

Can you imagine the bad looks when I drive into a Toyota service centre?

"No have! Mai me! and No can do for you, ha ha! 

One positive point is that there is no blue smoke from the exhaust !

There is a socket labeled "diagnosis" so I am hopeful somebody will have a suitable instrument to give a more accurate proof of what needs work.

Thanks for your feedback.

The engine is installed in a Tata Xenon single pickup 2010 model.

The original vehicle had a CNG system.  This has been removed (including the gas cylinder) leaving only the original reserve gasoline tank which holds about 15 litres.

Has anyone had experience with this engine?

At present It's so out-of-tune that the vehicle is almost impossible to drive.

It's seems to be flooding, a lot of petrol smell and popping sounds in the exhaust.

When I floor the accelerator, it bogs down with a sound similar to a Mac truck decelerating.

When I try to take off into traffic there is no power at all and the car basically slows to a stop.  If I gently press the accelerator it can reach a sweet spot and begin to move the car and with gear changes I can get up to speed.  However if I try to speed up quickly, it behaves the same and bogs down with now power.  Hopefully somebody will be able to give me a few tips on how to get it running well enough (to drive to a mechanic that knows what to do).  I am using 95 octane at the pump.

gallery_used-car-one2car-tata-xenon-giant-pickup-thailand_7953406_EZwnbaZqCNu9P6w1Bw37Kq.jfif

Can anyone identify this engine?

The only clue is the embossed words on the cam cover:

"Twin overhead cam 24 valve"

The govt reckons they are doing all they can.  I believe they're not.
For example I know a young lady who works in a 711 store.  She had a sore throat on and off for a week or so then began to have coughing fits.  I told her she should stay home until she recovers but she insists on going to work because, as she said, "who is going to pay the bills? I must work!"
I asked her if the boss had anything to say? "No, he just said keep working".
I asked if she had considered getting a test for the virus and the answer was "No, I have no time to go to hospital" 
If she did have the virus God knows how many people would have been exposed while she coughs around the shelves at 711?
The govt should make it every person's obligation to report such illnesses and get tests ASAP and hospitals and GPs given support to get the tests done. That way at least small areas could be quarantined and spread of the virus limited.
How can they hope to contain the virus if people with flu-like symptoms are allowed to roam free without getting tested?  This may seem trivial at this point in time, but as the problem grows, my fears may not seem so trivial.
This example also exposes the woeful inadequacies of the Thai system and lack of worker's rights.

Looks like the result of the UK pension losing value and the wonders of alcohol

combined.