Old Croc

My thoughts, prefaced by saying I haven't read through all previous posts, so apologize if repeating others. The OP did his due diligence, spent a long time with the woman before committing and spent money reserves to buy his forever home set up to his liking. He covered his back from eviction with a usufruct but found he had thrown in with a wife who wasn't prepared to retire to the quiet life with an aged husband and limited ongoing finances. Not every Isaan woman wants to retire early back in the village life. Despite good relations with villagers, he will always be the outsider and never one of them. When push comes to shove, they will side with their own clan member. At 75 with everything tied up in the home and little ongoing money, advice to walk away and start a new life elsewhere is for him probably not an easy option. He didn't commit to a spring chicken half his age; he had no reason to suspect she would turn toxic after the house was built. She may have been playing the long game to get a retirement house back home for when she was ready to retire and possibly didn't understand the implications of a usufruct. He made the mistake of trusting and investing too much of himself and his remaining assets, with a (Thai) woman. One thing life, and about 4 wives, has taught me: you should always maintain a back-up plan.

Cyanide?

Keep in mind the extension terminates upon divorce. It won't continue to be valid until October if divorced earlier.

Yes, but border bouncing without having such funds is considered a legal alternative here.

It's well known that expat bike riders here are highly trained, professional, skilled and have never had an accident in 50 years riding back home. Also, they never ride home drunk after a night out.

This guy states he's in a Government hospital.

Presumably the surgery is for spinal stenosis?

The smaller offices don't have the authorization to approve marriage extensions. They require a second set of documents to send to their designated regional office. This is why they only give a month "Under Consideration" extension initially. It also explains why, as in my case, junior and inexperienced, officers can go overboard with their petty requirements to try to impress their seniors.

Just did my latest marriage extension at a small office in the north. Despite my meticulous efforts to get everything correct, they found a number of (non) issues to make the visit as difficult as possible. Despite the appointment guidelines stating it can be done in 30 minutes, it took 3 hours for the second year in a row. They rejected my TM7 because it was on 2 pages instead of their (new) insistence that it has to be double sided. The female officer also had a problem with the date on the top of the form which was a few days before my visit. I explained this was when I completed and signed the form and it had never been a problem for the previous dozen years, and anyway, could be easily amended. She didn't agree on those points! Do other offices ask for it to be on one page or accept 2? I was astounded to find they had photocopied my 90-day notification slip for my next report, included it as part of the application, stamped it and insisted I sign. They were not swayed by my insistence that it was issued by their office as a reminder, not produced by me, was not an official form and had nothing to do with the extension. Has this happened to anyone else? They sent us back to the bank because they claimed it had to stamp and sign copies of every updated page in the bankbook, not just the ones with transactions for the last few months. The bank said no, we never do, and rang immigration to clarify. It was not mentioned again later. The photos of us in front of the house number were rejected because he claimed they were taken from an angle, and he couldn't read the number. If this was correct, I wouldn't have presented them. The wife had to go out to a copy shop and print several more old photos from her phone. I had carefully signed every page of the 2 applications and left sufficient room for their stamp to go on top, They stamped the pages everywhere but on top of my signature and presented me with a huge pile of paper to sign again, Difficult with arthritic fingers. I lost it about here while pointing out the absurdity of it. The female officer threatened to reject the extension if I didn't do what I was told. I eventually acquiesced, but doubt the 100 or so scribbles were close to my actual signature. Then followed a long period where the main officer tapped away at his PC while asking inconsequential questions about my long dead parents and sibling and my former working life. He continued to produce copies of various forms that I had to sign. When he produced copies of my TM7 I asked why they weren't double sided like he insisted mine had to be, He blamed the computer. There were other annoyances also, but this is too long already. I'm sure some here will enjoy hearing of my travails. Door to door it was a ten-hour day. I'm glad it only happens once a year.

Apart from in the thread title?

Not everyone understands irony.

When someone uses the wrong two, twice.

Australian stage and screen icon Barry Humphries has died aged 89 - ABC News

I can count at least 7 from Brisbane, similar for Darwin. (Boeing 777 cruising at 500 knots)

Upon reading the first post I came to the conclusion it was most likely murder-suicide. It doesn't take much cognitive thought to make that assumption. Posters on this opinion forum rarely wait for the trial/autopsy/police report to express their conclusions. Others who want to oppose these opinions because the authorities haven't personally presented them with irrefutable proof are just trolling in my opinion. The word "cadet" in the headline was sufficient for me to dismiss the translation/Thai reporting error that gifted the 19yo the killer the same name and rank as his father. I have to wonder if the pedants who concentrate on this minor misprint in lieu of the actual crime have ever actually spent time in Thailand.

Visitors on tourist visas are generally not allowed to work in most countries. It appears this individual was in breach of that basic law. Difficulties in getting work or residency visas in Thailand is another matter. All countries have immigration policies framed to promote, or protect, their own citizen's livelihoods while also enhancing the economy by allowing selected categories of migrants to add skills and invigorate the community in various ways. With the latter, in the opinions of many, Thailand's law makers fail to get the proper mix because of outdated or xenophobic viewpoints and personal or political bias.

Why? A foreigner working illegally is an offence in most countries. Should also be charged with stupidity for working as a guide or driver in the heavily scrutinized airport precinct..

Apart from all the people in the various entertainment premises who were randomly checked as outlined in the OP. The alternative being a compulsory visit to the police station. You persist with your mindless one liners on my posts.

Nobody should ever be dragged back to a police station just because they can't produce their PP, or a facsimile on a phone. Elsewhere, technology has been available for decades to remotely search a data base for visa details. Cherry picking is also considered an infringement of people's rights in most places. Compelling people to carry a valuable document with them at all times encourages crime. Theft of a passport in a crowded social area is a real crime.

I've been asked to bring six colored photos this year, 3 in 3 out. Can vary with offices and officers.

Unfortunately, not all offices work the same way. Last year I booked an appointment on-line, but it was ignored by the IO and I was given a number in last place. After a 2 hour drive I had to wait about the same time again before getting a very officious officer who took over an hour to finish shuffling papers and getting approx 7000 signatures on every scrap of paper he could find, despite me having already done so on most. The 2 hour drive home made it a long day. Having to go back again a month later is a pain. (I won't entrust my PP to Thai post)

I've extended multiple times using both methods. I would much prefer to still use retirement but have an O-A visa and refuse to purchase the corrupt insurance that was added to the criteria long after issue. (I'm not able to buy this insurance now if I wanted it) For some the marriage path is much more friendly financially, but I have always maintained more funds than is required for either method so is not a decider for me. Marriage requires the photos and several other additional vexatious tasks, a much lengthier processing time on the day, and a waiting period of a month necessitating a second 125 km drive for the stamp, I know, a border run to change to an "O" could make life easier, but it's not so easy for someone in a wheelchair. I'll just have to man up!

I was about to post that the victim has been named in the media in Perth, his hometown, but I see another has posted a link. He lost an infant daughter in the tsunami in 2004, but has always held a strong connection with Thailand.

I have a slow heart rate, resting about 48, this prompts many doctors I visit for other reasons, to check further. I take medication. Over the last 1/2 dozen years I've had 3 or 4 EKGs and several Echo tests. I self-insure, and it is not cheap to get these tests done in a private hospital. Not a problem for me because before moving here, I made sure money would not be an issue with any future unforeseen event. My last EKG was in a small government hospital and cost peanuts (Under $25 including some blood tests). The downside was that the doctor was not a cardiologist, and any more advanced treatment would involve travel and expense. Low cost rarely gets top level care. My wife lost both parents in the last couple of months. The care available locally was minimal, but neither of them, nor family, would move to the big hospitals in the capital which may have prolonged their lives. I did offer to cover costs. The OP doesn't want to hear this, but if you move to a foreign country with the bare minimum funds and no insurance at all, the only thing left for you is the charity of others. I wish the subject well and hope he has enjoyed his life choices.

Yes, correct. I changed my mind after a second close up look.