joebrown

It seems to that Prayut has been consulting his pet toad again and Anutins overdosed on that drug he's so fond of promoting!

I don't understand the need for my IO to have a bank letter confirming the balance of my account on the day of application when using the 40,000/60,000 monthly income method. The last time my balance was about 6,000bht, which is totally irrelevant when using monthly income confirmed by bank letter, statements and passbook.

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Here is an interesting article on how over reliant Thailand is on tourism and its effects with Civid as a multiplier now dropping the Thai Baht lower.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/26/asian-currencies-thailand-covid-lack-of-tourism-hit-thai-baht.html

 

So what now since Thailand has had only 34k visitors according to the article up until May of 2021. The 10k Sandbox visitors surely can not be helping either. So under 100k for the year is my best quess at this rate.

I read the CNBC article and have to question the 11% GDP figure given for Thai tourism. The figure ties in with what the Thai gov't say, but it's impossible to factor - in the 'black economy' to arrive at a true figure for loss of GDP.

The last time I checked about a year ago, only about 30% of Thais over working age were registered for paying Income Tax. The rest, the 'black economy', including those working in tourist reliant jobs, simply do not exist.

I wonder whether Pakistan understands Thailand's interpretation of 'Free Trade'?

It appears the local (amphur) government are making preparations for a worsening Covid situation. We heard the Poo Yai on the loudspeaker this morning telling us that a field hospital was being established only 3km from our home. I live in rural Phetchabun, and we have had very few Covid cases over the last 18 months.

9 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

Seen the chief there with his board up and the  ' menials ' looking on in admiration.

 

These Immigration officers are the only people that would attend the ' opening of an envelope! '  and find it interesting.

Surely, you're not suggesting opening brown envelopes isn't interesting?

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

'Impersonating a police or immigration officer in Thailand is a criminal offence.'  I used this last line of the article to include police and in particular Sattahip police.  I lived in Bang Sare.  I was waiting to turn right at a U-turn on Sukhumvit when two tearaways ploughed into the side of my car at 90kph. (No helmet/licence.)  The scruffy cop, arriving twenty minutes later, decided it was my fault for crossing a major road from a minor. Despite having 1st class insurance (Thannachart who were worse than useless) I ended up paying the real villains about 90K compensation.  The Sattahip cop levelling the charges muscled in on my wife.  (I knew nothing about it until six months later.)

I can assume the policeman took a share of the 90,000 bht you paid. It's interesting what you say about your Insurers. I had 1 year free insurance with them on my new pick up. I cancelled after the 1st year on the advice of a friend who had experienced their interpretation of 'customer service'.

It's easy enough to distinguish a real immigration officer from a fake one. The fake officer will be wearing a smart tight fitting brown uniform. The real IOs always wear baggy pants to accommodate their oversized sphincters.

7 minutes ago, mikebell said:

 

Yet I have been in the same room in Jomtien as a fat desk sergeant who asked my wife's family for 10K to proceed with a stolen car charge.  My wife paid a Sattahip cop 16K as he threatened to make my visa application 'difficult next year'.  You have been lucky, hopefully it keeps going.

I've lived in Sattahip and there is no IO there, so how can a cop in Sattahip make your 'visa application' difficult? What were the grounds for this threat that were serious enough for your wife to hand over 16,000bht?

35 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Why is this a surprise! Is it that the leaders just talk BS and have their heads in the clouds. Maybe Thai politicians should be held accountable for their consistent lies that they spread.

The politicians will never be held accountable while they have the backing of the military and the person who can't be mentioned.

2 hours ago, OJAS said:

So Brits who are obliged to make 2 trips in person to Bangkok from the provinces where they live in order to renew their passports will now likely be prosecuted (if they have not been first shot in the head at a military checkpoint, of course), will they? IMHO it's an absolutely bloody disgrace that, on top of all the other bureaucratic nonsense which they have inflicted on us Brits in LOS since 2014 as part of the dreaded With-It Tower Passport Renewal Experience, those incompetent clowns in HMPO back in the UK are now requiring Brits in need of new passports to break the law here, are they??

I am in the process of trying to replace a lost UK passport.

I emailed VFS (HMPO) about the need to visit their Trendy office twice in Bangkok,  to deliver the application and then subsequently collect the new passport,

In my case this would have involved 2 x 14 days self isolation on returning to my home in Phetchabun. This is their response :- "For applying renewal passport you may come to apply application by yourselves, by your family/relative/friend or use representative to submit application on your behalf."

It's as if they've never heard of Covid19/quarantine etc or maybe it's the case that all their staff have been vaccinated, so why should they worry about lesser mortals from the outlying provinces?

I have decided to use an agent, to cut out the hassle. Hopefully it'll be 5,000bht well spent.

10 hours ago, OJAS said:

I am taking it that you are referring to a Life Certificate for your UK State Pension. I personally would not be blaming the Thais you approached for the hassle you experienced but instead the DWP fairly and squarely for their ridiculously over-fussy, cumbersome and bureaucratic witnessing requirements for Life Certificates which gave rise to it - and which was probably not, in your case, helped by their steadfast refusal to provide us State Pensioners living in Thailand with a Thai language version of the Life Certificate for some ridiculous reason.

 

DWP even had the gall to insist on us going through this nonsensical ritual last autumn despite COVID-19 and resultant postal delays between the UK and Thailand (presumably this is the occasion you were referring to)!

 

So definitely more a case of TIUK rather than TIT in this particular instance, I think.

 

You are 'taking it' incorrectly and missing my point entirely.

The Life form in question was for the trustees of a company pension, but I accept you were not to know this. You mention the DWP (State) pension which is irrelevant regarding the point I was making, which was that the bank would not sign/stamp the Life form because it was not one of THEIR forms, not because it wasn't in Thai language.

I have my monthly pensions transferred to Bangkok Bank, Phetchabun by Wise (formerly Transferwise) to ensure the correct Foreign Transfer description is shown in the passbook and statements.

About a year ago I needed my signature witnessed on a Life Certificate which required a bank stamp and signature of the witness.

Despite the fact that I showed my bank ATM card, passbook and passport, they refused to help stating they could only stamp and sign their own forms and documents. TIT.

I ended up going to a Lawyers' office and had to pay 1,000 bht for  5 minutes work and the form to be completed. TIT.

12 hours ago, tonysilly said:

If someone gave you a gift, would you go out and sell that gift?? Americans should be 1st in line, them of course the Rich or connect Thais. FREE!!!!!!!!

The Thai Government gifted the land in Wireless Road to the UK on which the Embassy was built. If the UK can sell a gift, I'm sure the Thais are equally capable of doing the same.

2 hours ago, billsmart said:

I play golf every Tue and Fri with a group of ex-pats. We all put our balls in a hat and draw for groups. That would be threesomes or foursomes depending on how many are there. Most of these players are retired and 60 or above. I am 75 and many times not the oldest in my threesome/foursome.

There has been considerable complaining about slow play, and indeed, some players do take a long time to play a round. However, I approach my Tues and Fris at golf the same way as I so as going out for a good meal at a nice restaurant. I don't want to hurry through the meal with an eat-and-run attitude. I want to take my time and enjoy every bite.

So, I play at my pace and don't worry about complaints of slow play, which is rarely directed at me anyway. My advice is just enjoy yourself, and when playing golf, don't have as one of your goals finishing the round as soon as possible. ????️‍♂️

Sounds like you have most things well organised where you play. Where I play there are golfers who spend too much time measuring wind speed/direction and distances using GPS gadgets, quite often with no tangible benefit!

It's amazing how long some players take to read, set up, strike and then miss a putt. I find I can do the same in half the time!

2 hours ago, colinneil said:

The uniform he is wearing has nothing to do with the military.

He is wearing the civil service uniform that every government official wears on mondays.

Wearing a uniform might make him look and feel important, but in truth it's only an attempt to disguise the fact that he's an idiot underneath.

Saying he accepts responsibility is just hot air. He's PM and he's accepting responsibility for his useless racist deputy PM and Health Minister. He hasn't got the gonads to sack Anutin for fear of being ousted himself by Anutins mates.

In Thai tradition the color for Monday is yellow, the same for cowardice. He's spineless and the uniform hides the yellow streak he has down his back.

20 minutes ago, Almer said:

As long as he is needed, then out he will go.

Anutin has got the PM by the gonads, because his political party is part of the Government's coalition.  Without their support this government would collapse.

10 minutes ago, Phulublub said:

What, like the UK?  Oh....

Yes, why not compare the vaccine program in Thailand with the UK.  Like 'chalk and cheese' aren't they?

1 hour ago, Humpy said:

 Too busy looking at his watch.

He's not the 'watchman'. The 'watchman' is now taking care of the endless flooding problems in Pattaya. Anutin's eye is not 100% on the Health Ministry 'ball' because he's been distracted by his appointment as supremo for the Suvarnabhumi Airport Extension. He's obviously having difficulty in allocating his time between counting the brown envelopes from vaccine suppliers and construction company sub contract bidders.

1 hour ago, RobMuir said:

Friends in high places.

 

I know hotel owners in Phuket who were vaccinated last month and all their staff.

Same as in the links I provided you with if you bothered to read them.

 

Here is one owner who sent me a photo of her getting her second shot on 19th May. She offered to get me done by I declined.

 

Certainly more reliable than poorly translated statements from Thai politicians in the press.

 

 

 

'Friends in high places'. Is your ivory tower in the same parallel universe as TAT?

Just now, joebrown said:

 

9 hours ago, RobMuir said:

Yes, first hand knowledge actually.

 

And common knowledge amongst Thai speakers. Maybe you don't speak any Thai? 

 

It has been going on for 6 weeks now. 

 

I am not offended by your post, you weren't to know.

 

Here you go, it is old news now....

 

Good luck mate.

 

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4104615.html

 

https://www.anantara.com/en/press-releases/anantara-resorts-in-thailand-vaccinated-for-covid19

 

https://www.pkru.ac.th/en/news-feature/2402-covid-19-vaccine

It seems the Governor of Phuket knows a lot more about the readiness to accept fully vaccinated tourists from 1st July than yourself. 

So much for your 3 links above. Where exactly did you get your 'First hand' knowledge? A rhetorical question, as you are the font of all knowledge in Thailand!

2 hours ago, RobMuir said:

 

 

Well the old aging grandmothers are likely to stay home and not be exposed because of natural social distancing.

 

Whereas the younger caddies out working to bring income to feed old granny are, and if they take it home with them old granny could die from it.

 

The younger caddies are also more likely to visit all their boyfriends up close and friends spreading it further. Especially now we have the highly contagious UK strain running rampant around the country. Old granny hasn't got up close and personal for a couple of decades now.

 

I can see you don't agree with it, but it makes sense to me.

 

 

This is a recent TVF item -Posted June 4

"Update for anyone interested in playing golf in Ubon.  The RTAFB golf course is undergoing a major renovation.  A rough guess would be they have already spent north of 100 million baht pretty much changing the whole course design/layout.  Hundreds of trees have been removed; and, water hazards have been expanded/added to nearly every hole.  Three new holes have been added, at least 6 holes have had their greens changed/moved; and, tees have been moved/lengthened on many holes.  Two of the new holes are par 5's (not open yet) that appear to be in the 600-700 yard range in length. You almost need binoculars to see the green(s) from the tee boxes.  My guess is it will be close to another year before completion; but, the base commander has put everything on a fast track; so, it could be done in 6 months.  I have to say, it's an amazing sight to see that much money being spent on a military golf course in a non tourist area (actually anywhere for that matter)"

There is a military course I play in a different province where extensive improvements are being carried out at tax-payers's expense.

A clear demonstration of this military government's total disregard for the welfare (vaccines/hospitals/pensions/unemployment benefits) for the vast majority of Thais who never play golf.

I believe any Thai establishment having a board people can play darts on, is required to have license to do so.  I hope TAT have a license for the dart board they use for target practice.  Makes me wonder whether there's a daily prize for the member of staff who gets nearest the bull "s##t' !