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Old Croc

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Everything posted by Old Croc

  1. This is a bit like the case a few years back of a tourist being arrested for collecting shells and bits of dry coral on the beach. I did a quick scan of the wildlife act mentioned. It has a very broad definition of "wildlife carcass" and what is allowed if you find a bone or two of a native animal and decide to take them home. It seems to be more about the size of the wildlife bones, publicity seeking authorities and a nasty neighbor wanting to get a falang in trouble. As the bones were cemented in as an arch in front of his home, I would suggest there was no trafficking of wildlife involved.
  2. Similar to the Huntsman common in Australia. Seen many in Thailand. No web, Runs very fast on walls when inside,
  3. He grew an extra leg.
  4. First time I saw it on the door of a clinic at a Bangkok Hospital I did a double take and had to check what it was. It's a bit like my kidney doctors calling themselves Nephrologists which is apparently derived from a Greek word for the organ.
  5. We had a similar situation on an unsupervised property where the wife had stocked a pond with abut 2000 fingerlings and fed them until they were edible size. It became apparent someone was plundering them on a large scale and eventually a friend who lived nearby caught them at it. He was reluctant to tell her because the thieves were the village druggies and known for violence. It seems they were processing and selling our fish in local markets. We fenced the pond off at great cost (to me), but the thefts continued. Eventually we drained it, caught most of the stock that were left (600+) and transferred them to the pond near our house (as I suggested in the beginning). The S/heads have to steal from elsewhere.
  6. (Recognised by who? vastly over prescribing medicines, including antibiotics for almost anything, dismal paliative care at end of life and generally poor communicating skills with patients are not world class at all. While I have found dentists here to be mostly world class a lot of the hospital services are not, at least in my experience.) @ Proton Thailand's healthcare system ranked among best in the world - Thailand News - Thailand News, Travel & Forum - ASEAN NOW I won't argue about private hospitals here over-prescribing meds and services to the unwary. I have found almost all Thai doctors speak English and I have no problems discussing my medical issues with them. Most locals and some foreigners treat doctors with awe, I don't, and will agree or disagree with them if I feel they are going against my best interests.
  7. Who can get Age Pension - Age Pension - Services Australia
  8. Purely on a cost basis, I would prefer the existing method of medical tourism: "Currently, foreigners visiting Thailand for the purpose of medical treatment apply for a tourist or non-immigrant visa, which allows only a single entry into the country."
  9. A victim of the pandemic?
  10. Without some specific details this seems like just another Thai bashing post. Did you consult with an Otorhinolaryngologist in a first-class hospital or just a general doctor in a private surgery? Thailand is generally recognized as having world class medical facilities and doctors, albeit at a price.
  11. When I moved here, I profited by more than $A305,000 by selling my 32yo, 3x1 attached unit, on 199sqm of land in Australia, and buying a 9yo 3x2 pool villa on 450sqm with mountain views, in Phuket. Not just an upgrade to my living standards but a very handy addition to my retirement funds! I did luck out by selling in Australia at the top of the market, and by an exchange rate of about 32.3 baht when I transferred a large sum across. My 800,000, still in the bank, was imported at that rate also, I still consider the cost of everything here, averaged out, to be about 1/3 of that in Australia. The flat whites (white coffee) are just a tiny example of the differences in COL.
  12. Yes and no. I've read that tax treaty from cover to cover several times looking for a way out for my situation. Yes - OAPs are tax free. I've never applied for one. If you are deemed to be a non-resident for tax purposes, you don't pay taxes in Australia for most income. It is taxed (or not) by your new resident country. The Treaty applies. I have a ComSuper pension from my years working for the federal government. It's taxed at a very low rate as long as I am deemed to be an Australian resident for tax purposes. However, if I decide to retire overseas, I am considered a non-resident for tax purposes and ATO taxes it at 32.5% because it's paid in Australia. It cannot be transferred nor cashed out. That is, they tax my pension at the same rate as a working holiday maker picking fruit!
  13. In this case, the new Australian foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong attended APEC (and ASEAN?), had talks with the Thai PM, and they signed some agreements regarding human trafficking and other matters. I had been hoping for some bilateral agreements for relief on retirees' tax, pensions, or even just the tariffs on wine. Apparently, all we expats got was lip service for an already existing, expensive visa.
  14. Yes, I noted that they mashed the two countries, and their different requirements, into the one story. Channel 9, Australia isn't the best network around.
  15. A fraction of nil? A visa is not required to live on home soil. Perhaps they're talking about the COL. Is this offer just the long-term visa for the wealthy that is already available for all?
  16. Compare with the NZ guy who had a house full of weapons, including grenades.
  17. Flack vests, raiding houses in formation, guns drawn, perp on the floor, knees to the back until handcuffed. I think the Joke's police force have been watching too many US police videos on YouTube.
  18. By Saturday recovered to over 24 baht again Australian Dollar to Thai Baht Exchange Rate Chart | Xe
  19. Long term retirees and marriage extenders really should be considered the most trusted and be given an easier path to extend each year.
  20. Change the 6 months to 7 and you've got it.
  21. After living many years in Phuket and attending BHP for my many ailments, including CKD, I now live on a property outside a small village in deep Isaan. When I attend the small local government hospital for blood tests and treatments, I am such a rarity that the entire waiting room stares at me the whole time I'm there. I've yet to see another foreigner in my village or the town. Yet, all the doctors, bar one, speak excellent English and I'm able to discuss my medical issues with them, advise treatment timetables and decline their pharmacy meds. (The wife's sister sources these for me in Bangkok.) Even with the Phuket private hospital I declined their meds. I just told the doctors not to prescribe. I usually get seen very quickly, jumping the queue possibly because of my age, my wheelchair or my nationality. Not sure. I pay more than my wife for treatments but am amazed every time at how cheap it is. An example, I recently spent time in the emergency section with a suspected snakebite. Three doctors and many nurses milled around examining the wound and discussing, the total cost to me was 95 baht for some antibiotics! Sorry folks, no envenomation.
  22. In my former job as an investigator, I had to consider all aspects of a situation and sometimes make assumptions (mostly successfully). My dealings with, and thoughts about, journalists were often very mixed. I've had lies made about me in print and on radio by lazy individuals who only embrace one side of a situation, but have also used contacts within that profession to get a real message out. Sorry, I don't get offended, but do make my points if required.
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