Saladin

I recall seeing a movie in which the main character made the comment to his drinking mate, "My father always taught me that anyone who can't be bribed can't be trusted". There's some truth to that. Bribery is endemic throughout Thailand and so much money that should be used for the benefit of the people goes instead into the pockets of people in authority. That is bad enough but it strikes me that, what is worse is that these people don't have any incentive to perform their jobs efficiently. They are seemingly not answerable to anybody. They are making a good living from payola, so why work? I accept that bribery is part of the way of life in SE Asia and isn't going to be eliminated anytime soon but let us hope that the newly elected politicians will tackle the problem of indolence and complacency in government departments and hold the bosses accountable. 

21 hours ago, natway09 said:

Finished the rant ?

The rule changes are designed to stop "borrowing" the money to obtain the visa & then giving it back.......which is against the law as you state that it is yours.Sounds reasonable to me.

& yes, you are right they don't care if you stay or go & why should they ?

They should care for otherwise they are going to lose a huge amount of unearned foreign currency

I understand that the main reason for this poorly planned requirement concerning income is to make sure foreigners have sufficient funds to cover costs in case of death, injury and sickness. The Catch 22 is that most retirees can't get health insurance because of their age. Surely the government, in conjunction with Thai insurance providers, could come up with an affordable plan to cover us. In this case it would be sufficient for us to just have a monthly income of 40,000B (app. normal pension) plus verifiable insurance cover, either from a foreign insurance company or through the Thai government sponsored plan. 

It would be quite normal for a retiree who has been paid a salary or wage all his or her working life to keep 800K in a bank for 5 or 6 months, or indefinitely. But business people would never tie up their money by loaning it to a bank. They keep it working through investments in real estate, shares, business, etc. So although they might be good for the 800K it costs them money to have it sitting idle in a bank.  

It would help if the media were to press the Thai government to specifically state what they are trying to achieve regarding retirees. Do they want foreign capital pouring into the country without risk or effort, or not? If that's the aim, then why not make it as easy as possible for retirees, rather than constantly erecting Donald Trump style obstacles. Where is the logic in spending $millions to entice foreign tourists to spend their money in Thailand while at the same time, encouraging retirees to spend their money somewhere else? This is Alice in Wonderland stuff - curiouser and curiouser!

Visas have lost their whole purpose for existence and are simply another money making racket for the government, and not just in Thailand. Gone are the days when people were vetted before being issued with permission to enter (visa). 

My Australian pension of around 40,000 per month is paid directly into Bangkok Bank by Social Security. One thing I don't get is whether the additional 25,000 that is required to meet the requirements can come in at irregular intervals and in varying amounts, or in one hit, or must it be in regular monthly deposits?

They don't give you a stat dec - you write one and take it to them for stamping as evidence that it is you who prepared it. They do not verify that you have the funds that you claim to have, only that you confirmed that you are making the claim. You need to go to the Embassy in Bangkok, or see them when they make one of their periodic visits to Chiang Mai, Phuket, etc. which I guess are over for the year.

21 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

A very egoist suggestion . I suppose it would work for you, but what about those :

- who don't have a pension when retired

- who are not in age to get their pension
- whose country will refuse to pay the pension in Thailand

- who are not retired and/or will never have a pension

etc.

Actually I am viewing this from Thailand's perspective - not through the eyes of an expat. My suggestions just seem to make good business sense - foreign currency for no effort.

21 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

A very egoist suggestion . I suppose it would work for you, but what about those :

- who don't have a pension when retired

- who are not in age to get their pension
- whose country will refuse to pay the pension in Thailand

- who are not retired and/or will never have a pension

etc.

Then they shouldn't get a Retirement Visa

Regular pension payments coming into this country must be the easiest source of foreign currency that Thailand can get. It costs the country nothing to collect and every dollar, euro, pound or yen gets spent here. It seems to me that Thailand should forget about the 800,000B p.a. requirement and instead should happily give Retirement Visas to anybody whose pension (usually around 50,000B) is paid directly into a Thai bank account. So that retirees don't become a burden on the state they should have to demonstrate that they have X amount of health cover, either from a foreign or a Thai insurance company.  

11 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

 

How much is real estate in Ontario, Canada?

How much is a restaurant meal in Ontario Canada?

Can you get a tasty sit down street food meal with a free glass of water for 40 Baht in Ontario Canada?

Shall i compare beer prices in Ontario, Canada, with beer prices in Munich, Germany from convenience stores?

I am sure the German prices will be cheaper, for better tasting beer.

So, basically your point is what, and the whole world swings in roundabouts.

This doesn't answer the poster's question at all. I think he/she wants to know, does beer cost more to make in Thailand? Are there excessively high taxes on it? Are there excessively high profit margins?

Digressing a little but I had a phone call from Australian Social Security (at 6am) earlier this year, enquiring as to whether I intended to be domiciled in Thailand in the future, which I affirmed. They sent me a form to fill in with my Thai bank account details (Bangkok Bank) and told me that henceforth they would pay my age pension directly into that account in full and without bank fees, but every 4 weeks rather than fortnightly. This works great but I need to be more disciplined with my spending or the pattern becomes Dining at the Ritz for the first two weeks and living on the bones of my bum for the remainder of the month. But this direct payment arrangement must surely be worth something as documentary evidence.

I am not interested in brand name musicians who earn big bucks in big venues. I want to hear talented professionals who visit Thailand playing in small venues and bars with talented Thais, of which there are many. This would allow Thai music to evolve and not become stagnant. Let us farangs and the Thais hear some top pianists, trombonists, trumpet players, saxophonists, etc. Thailand has excellent guitarists, percussionists, and vocalists but few of the aforementioned.

Perhaps a work permit agent who reads this can throw some light on the current situation for musos.

22 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

https://www.thephuketnews.com/new-work-permit-rules-confirmed-by-phuket-employment-office-chief-68463.php#36HQebCUyei3FtRk.97

Thank you - that is something authoritative while most other responses are just guesswork and well meaning opinions. I suppose we can find the actual rules somewhere in Thai government's website? 

Can anybody answer definitively what is the situation since the recent relaxation of work permits, on foreign musicians (both resident in Thailand or visiting) being permitted to work. Musicians are not included in the list of proscribed occupations, which I take to mean that they now have the green light.

In a case that raised far-reaching political and moral questions, two former East German border guards were convicted of having shot and killed a fleeing refugee in February 1989.

The defendant told the court "I was following the laws and commands of the German Democratic Republic."

But the judge, Theodor Seidel, said as he pronounced the sentences, "Not everything that is legal is right."

He was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on a charge of manslaughter.

The judge acknowledged that the defendants were "at the end of a long chain of responsibility," but said they had violated "a basic human right" by shooting at someone whose only crime was trying to emigrate. "No one has the right to ignore his conscience when it comes to killing people on behalf of the power structure." The principle that citizens must not violate basic moral principles, even if the violations are endorsed by law, was established by German courts in trials of former Nazis in the late 1940's and the 1950's.

Will the state sanctioned murderers on Israel’s border with Gaza be brought to justice, or should we just forget history?

Where do the new rules now leave musicians? I didn't see them on the list of prohibited occupations. Thailand has many first class guitarists, singers, and vocalists but pianos, saxophones, trumpets, and trombones are as rare as hens' teeth. Banning Farang  residents and visiting musicians from overseas from playing was supposed to preserve jobs for Thais but all it does is to stop Thais from learning, growing, and cross pollinating. It is to be hoped that Thailand is now emerging from the Dark Ages and we will see a vibrant music scene develop. It should be noted that Thailand's much loved late King was an accomplished jazz musician and composer.

Huntsmen are common in Australia. They don't have webs, preferring to wander around the walls and ceilings looking for a snack. I overcame my fear of spiders sufficiently to be able to slip a plastic coffee cup over them, slide a piece of cardboard between the cup and the wall, and drop the spider (and often the cup too) off the balcony. 

Just now, janclaes47 said:

 

I heard they have Google at the Thai customs department these days, and they know very well how to use it.

Customs departments all over the world don't have the manpower, money, or the inclination to check every import, or even the great bulk of them - the cost would be prohibitive as import tariffs on most things are generally very low. Customs Dept main focus is on drugs, weapons, plants and animal products that might spread diseases etc.

DHL will have an invoice of declared value from the sender. Thai Customs wouldn't have a clue what is the local value. I expect they would just accept the declared value particularly if the goods are not very expensive.