JohnC

Let your insurers deal with it as a "failed to stop" accident.

With 12-call they only give you 1 month validity for some strange reason, DTAC gives 12 months.

Not true, after frequent use they extend the life of the credit until it reaches one year, I have had the same number for three years and only topped up every three months when I came on holiday. Now I live here I use it regularly and my current credit expires in July 2009. (200 baht)

There is also PO boxes at the main PO in Naklua.

I used www.travelocity.co.uk in the past for tickets for my partner using my cc and never had a problem.

Have you tried Ruen Thai opposite RGP? Good food reasonably priced and an excellent Thai show thrown in, I always take my visitors there for at least one night and have always had postive comments fromt hem.

Only if you are using the BBL card from an out of area location. There is no charge for using ATM POOL bank cards in other member bank ATM's in the same location up to a 3 or 4 time limit per month.

I have a Bangkok Bank Visa Card, my branch is in Pattaya and EVERY time I withdraw cash using SCB I am charged 20 baht fee. So.... does that mean that BB is not a member of the pool? that would be strange.

As I understand it, if you have a large deposit in a Thai bank they will give you a credit card after some banking history, a friend was offered a card by two different banks after being here for 4 years and creating a banking history with them. Maybe if you paid your monthly pension into a Thai Bank they would then consider you low risk and issue a card. I retained my credit card from home for emergencies and pay it by direct debit from my home account so do not have the need for a Thai card but can see why someone would want one. I didnt want my pension going into a Thai Bank every month for all the obvious reasons not least being the amount I would lose on bank charges from the pension provider tarnsfering abroad.

Liberty Computers on third road about 200 yards past tot offices just before you turn of to the back entrance to carrfour.

One point to note is that they also use the gross pension figure not the net so that works in your favour if you are a taxpayer in your home country. Interestingly when I renewed mine at the end of April she used 61 baht to the £ which was the exhange rate in the bank that day! Today it is 65.58!

Outlook Express will not accept hotmail accounts, likewise Outlook needs additional software that has to be purchased from MS

My Mistake....60 at present but will be raised to 65 from 2010

There seems to be a misunderstanding from some re retirement age, the CURRENT age at which one can receive state pension is 65 for men and 60 for women , that changes as per my previous post. One can "retire" anytime if one is financially solvent BUT you still do not receive the state pension until you reach 65 (at the moment) if after 6th April 2010 you reach 65 you need 30 years of NI contributions to recieve 100% pension, anything less is paid pro-rata e.g, you have 28 years contributions then you receive 28/30 of the state pension unless you opt to pay up that shortfall. If you are 65 before 6th April 2010 then you need to have made 44 years contributions for a full state pension. I think the confusion has arisen because one can take a private pension out at 60 (used to be 55) but this has no relevance to the state system.

No, It's a CSR project for a Public Relations Campaign. Opening a public school of course is an example. But im looking for other issues, something different. An idea from someone who is living there.

The first thing would be to learn what CSR actually is!!! What you are asking is posters to give you the basis for your work for your degree instead of researching as normal. CSR has been included in the UN speeches plus the UK PM of the time also highlighted it.

CSR - All companies have a corporate social responsibility to the communities they operate in, its not just about providing jobs and making profit they also have a responsibility to suport community projects, which means not to pay for things the statuatory authorities have a legal obligation to provide even if they do not!

Instead they could adopt a local charity or community centre etc etc, does not take a degree to make up your own list and extrapulate that out for a PR campaign.

Just two points for clarification, the translation starts at Para 3, what happened to para 1 & 2 ??

When does this new act come into effect i.e when is it law.

Surely many self employed will just stop paying contributions when the 30 years is reached?

Not an option, if you work you pay even past the thirty year mark as was always the case when you reached 60 with maximum contributions, if you continued working you continued paying with no increase in pension benefits.

As far as I know, most ATM transactions (withdrawals) at Thai banks (that you don't have an account with) charge you 20 Baht for the service.

This was not true up until this week! I have a UK Nationwide Visa Debit card and could use any bank here with no charges, however yesterday I withdrew some cash using a Siam Bank ATM in Tesco and was told at the end of the transaction I had been charged 20baht! this is the first time ever in three years. Today I went to the Bangkok Bank ATM also in Tesco and withdrew some cash using my Nationwide Card and their was no charge therefore it would appear to be a Siam Bank only charge so I have stopped using them. Incidently I have always been charged for using my Bangkok Bank Card to withdraw cash from other banks atm's !!

If people read my op thye could have found the answers to their questions by following the link! However, NI is dealt with by http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/nic/background-nic.htm. so follow that and you should get some answers.

Is there any chance that they'll lower it to 20 year in 20 years time?

Next to zero! this is the first change since the welfare state was introduced in 1948! so dont hold your breath!

Johnc - I am not claiming benefits or anything and I am not registered with the unemployment agency what I meant was my current address is my parents and I haven't worked in the UK for years and I am not registered with the UK embassy here. My father said he my NI was being paid and I haven't questioned him any further on that. What I want to know is, if I (or someone else on my behalf) pays my NI for the next 'x' amount of years can I legitimately collect a pension when I'm 65?

This is more complex than it looks, you want to apy contributions for the next xxx years! on the face of it that would appear reasonable, my concerns were (are) if you reenter the country at any point then leave again you can guarentee that it will be logged on a government database which could be shared across depts. Now I know its a bit orwellian to think they would check on your movements but as we see daily things do change within government depts especially when it comes to paying out money so before committing yourself to 20 years of payments be sure you can claim when the day finally comes. Take the case of people that retire here, like me, worked for 44 years, paid NI & tax, still pay tax on UK pension but when I reach 65 I get my state pension fixed at the rate applicable when I claim it, no annual increases because I live here! But it will still be taxed at the rate set each year in the budget!! Oh and if you live abroad you are only entitled to emergency treatment on the NHS if you fall ill whilst visiting the UK!!! end of rant

I am in Pattaya and my (ex) accountant was charging me 30000 a year 9000 tax and 21000 audit fees! I shopped around and after excellent personal recommends moved to another company and this year paid 12500, 3500 of which was tax so a big difference and the accounts are done showing movement and I get a breakdown and tax receipts from tax office. So in answer to your question if you are getting proper receipts etc then 15000 is reasonable.

You cannot be registered as unemployed and be out of the country for more than two weeks in addition you have to sign on every two weeks even if you are not claiming any benefit otherwise you will not be considered unemployed. In addition if you are registered unemployed your NI is paid for you so why would your father be paying additional contributions? The other factor to consider is that all government depts now share information therefore at some point you will have left the country and be noted on a PC somewhere and you are hoping your father will live for another 27 years and pay your contributions?? I think you may have a problem at some point in the future proving your residency but that is only my thoughts, time will tell.

The missing property amounted to a gold necklace, a gold ring, a big diamond set, a silver set, (weight 240 gms approx.), 2 mobile phones, a notebook computer and a wrist watch. Most of stolen items had been bought abroad. The total property missing amounted to about Bt 1 million.

Of course most people leave diamond sets, silver etc just lying around in drawers and never consider a secure safe??? hmm call me cynical but I smell an insurance scam somewhere along the road.

The sting in the tail is that retirement age for women will be raised to 65 from 2010 depending on date of birth. For both men and women the state pension age will be raised in increments until it reaches 68, this process will start in 2024. If you are aged 65 after 6th April 2010 then yes you only need 30 years contributions to receive the full state pension, any payments made under that 30 years will entitle you to a pension pro rata. If (like me) you have made more than 30 years payments there will be no refund! The other point that has been missed here and is of interest to ex pats is the extra money claimed for a spouse or civil partner (known as Adult Dependecy Increase) will no longer be available to new claiments after 6th April 2010. Those already in receipt at that date will be able to continue claiming until 2020 at the latest.

Those who reach retirement age after 6th April 2010 and have a dependent partner can apply for pensions credits which as I understand it will be means tested and its not clear how people living outside the European Union will be able to qualify.

I presume you mean tinted and not tainted! The first part is correct, you cannot roll windows down for two weeks, the second part is a new one on me! I have always used the wipers as the tint is on the inside of the window!!

KPK Supplies sells tins of mushy peas plus things like branston pickle, colemans mustard, ambrosia creamed rice etc . In the soi going past the side of carrfour towards lukdor.

Bought mine in Carrfour

As I was already in Thailand my bank insisted on a fax copy of my passport and uk driving licence before they would transfer money to my Bangkok Bank.

try and find out if he has an e mail then get a unconnected third part y drop him a line as a "concerned" countryman.