hgarwood

6 hours ago, sfokevin said:

New rule says you must show more than 65k in foreign transfers a month into a Thai bank... If you are using the BK Bank ACH method to transfer from Bank of America account  This method will effectively end in April 1st...

No, as I read it, the rule says you must have verifiable income of no less than 65,000 baht -- then it goes on to say, after "or", what you must have if you don't have income of no less than 65,000 baht.  Rule says nothing about having to have the income placed into a Thai bank.  As to verification, I have a letter from the U.S. Social Security Department that shows what my monthly income is.

I have a retirement Visa and have lived here in Thailand for 14 years.  My basic retirement income (Social Security) exceeds the 800,000 baht requirement under the new Thai Immigration rules.

The new rules (see below) state that one must have (3) evidence of income no less than 65,000 baht, or (4) 800,000 in a Thai bank, or, (5) a combination of income and money in the bank that totals 800,000 baht.  The "or" word is critical here!

The "or" to me means that if you don't have (3), then you must have (4) or (5);   If you don't have (4), then you must have (5).  So, if I meet the requirement of (3) and have verifiable income of over 65,000 baht per month, why would that alone not qualify for the retirement visa renewal?  Item (3) says nothing about having to have this income in a Thai bank.  My Social Security is Direct Deposited each month to my Bank of America account in the U.S.  Nevertheless, I still transfer from Bank of America each month most of the income I receive to Bangkok Bank as means for my support.

Anyone else have this situation?  Your thoughts and comments regarding my logic about this are appreciated.

The requirements for a retirement extension according to the new police order are promulgated as follows:

(1) Must have been granted a non-immigrant visa (Non-Im)

(2) Must be 50 years of age or over

(3)  Must have evidence of having income of no less than THB 65,000 or;

(4) At least 2 months prior to filing date, and at least 3 months after being granted permission, the alien must have fund deposited in a bank in Thailand of no less than THB 800,000. The alien can withdraw the fund 3 months after being granted permission and the remaining balance must be no less than THB 400,00 or;

(5) Must have an annual earning and fund deposited with a commercial bank in Thailand totaling no less than THB 800,000 until the filing date. The said fund must remain in the account prior to and after the permission is granted and the alien can make a withdrawal under the same conditions as stated in (4).

He has already done more than all previous governments have done in years. To wipe out all corruption is a goal. Not all goals are achievable but starting at the top is the way to go. Every country in the world has corruption whether they admit it or not. Thailand has run on it for years, and if anybody can change that then I think he is the man to do it. Western democracies may not be happy with an unelected government, but fail to recognise that previous governments have been elected on the back of corruption. He should ignore Western protests and focus on taking Thailand forwards which was the main theme of his speech last night.

That he has done more than all previous governments have done in years......I could not agree more! The general has a worthy goal and from what I have seen so far he has made admirable progress toward that. But we all should recognize that it is a long, long-term project that will at times be slow and difficult, but everyone should be willing to support his efforts if they want to restore Thailand to good governance.

We hear many critics shouting for a "return to democracy for Thailand", without much thought into what they are asking for. Read the following link very, very carefully:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/In-Thailand-democracy-is-just-a-fig-leaf-for-klept-30228458.html

Then, when you have finished, ask yourself "Is this the kind of democracy I want Thailand to return to?" Give the man a chance.

 A foreigner's passport number is coded into their Thai driver license.   If a person has a valid Thai driver's license, will possession of that fulfill the requirement of "proper identification"?   In other words, rather than carrying your passport with you at all times, would the driver's license be acceptable?

I have no doubt that something is terribly wrong with the rice scheme. We hear stories of "billions of baht" in losses and that "massive corruption" pervades the program. What I can't understand is where is all of this money (the money that is being stolen, so to speak) coming from?

Lots of rice pledged, lots of rice sitting in full warehouses and over-flowing silos around the country (so we are told).....and very little sold apparently. But the rice has to be sold to produce any money (which attracts those prone to corruption) and yet we understand that not a lot has been sold. Seems only logical that there must have been (or is ongoing) selling of a huge amount of rice somehow, to someone, for some amount of money...... money that is definitely not flowing to the poor farmers. Perhaps we will find out at some point that these silos are not so full after all and that many of the warehouses are empty...... and everyone will wonder what happened to all that rice?

You might try solving your problem through Bangkok Bank's New York branch, at:

New York Branch

Bangkok Bank PCL New York Branch
29 Broadway, 20th Floor, New York
NY 10006
Tel: (1-212) 422-8200
Fax: (1-212) 422-0728
Swift: BKKB US 33
Telex:(023) 175459 BKBK UT
E-mail:
FED Routing No: 026008691
CHIPS ABA: 0869

It is a full service bank and should be able to help you. Good luck!

Does anyone have any experience/knowledge of a condominium office staff and the requirement for an employee welfare fund as described in the Thai Law? I am currently on the committee of our condominium and this question has come up.

Under the Labor Protection Act of Thailand, the employees of a business operation having ten or more employees must be members of the Employee Welfare Fund. This fund is mandatory (unless the employer has a registered Provident Fund, which I think is something like a profit sharing program).

The Welfare Fund has the same objective as a Provident Fund, which is to provide financial security for the employees in case they resign or retire from work, and for their beneficiaries in case they die.

The employee's and the employer's contributions will be in accordance with the rates prescribed in the Ministerial Regulation but not exceeding 5% of the employee's wage.

But then I read that it states "The Employee Welfare Fund is to be established and managed by the Employee Welfare Fund Committee upon enactment of a respective Royal Decree, which has not yet been issued."

So, it would appear that unless the Royal Decree was issued, then the Welfare Fund Committee would not have been set up and therefore there is no basis for establishing an employer's Welfare Fund as described above. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has any knowledge on this. Thanks.