ronnie50

It's not beyond the realms of possibility that Jeffrey Goldberg was deliberately on the list (and maybe is privy on other lists of the Trump administration given his pro-zionist stance and IDF prison guard background). The fact he was quick to spill the beans about this could be his way of saving his career before someone else noticed and pointed a finger at him for staying quiet. It's not unusual in the least for the world's editors-in-chief of very big publications to get tipped off about things. It's just kept quiet - kind of like developing major sources and then protecting them. Otherwise, then yes, it's just one huge f@ck up and the truth will eventually come out - or not.

I had more than enough THB in my Thai bank account, for at least a year or more, by the time I applied to change to O Visa for purposes of retirement. But I transfered more than 800k in foreign funds anyway into that account just so I could show a foreign transfer and not chance being turned away by IMM. You can try without it. Be good to know how you fare. My understanding was the first application needed to include a foreign wire transfer - then for subsequent renewals you just needed to show you had the minimum 800k in the account (for more than 3 months at renewal). Please let me know if that's not correct, but they (IMM1 at CW) certainly wanted to see the transfer (both from my home country bank and then the Thai bank incoming wire) for conformation, etc.

From Dubai Ports Corp and China's position, I kind of get the economic and geopolitical interest. But I still don't see the economic logic from a shipper's perspective. While it saves time and some fuel, by not sailing around Singapore, the logitics and additional costs involve two ships instead of one, and two loadings and unloadings (of ships) and an additional loading and unloading of container-carrying vehicles (and their labour and fuel costs). It would be good to get a shipper's perspective.

I've been getting Thai massages for more than 20 years. I've also never heard/seen the term 'nuad'. Agree about laziness and elbows. Wat Po trained used to be the gold standard, as far as I recall. They get a certificate and I believe there already exists a scale of hours trained at Wat Po for the certificate. I usually ask for one hour Thai massage if it's a place or practitoner I haven't been to before. If the first thing she does is bend my feet one at a time and then together, then proceeds to use the palm/heel of her hand to apply pressure to the first calf muscle, then I ask for 1.5 or 2 hours. If she doesn't do any of that and starts digging her thumbs into me - I ask her to use her palms and then I can't wait for the hour to end!

We had a Thai neighbor who left a really big concrete planter full of water - never changed for a year - for the squirrels she said. One hot day I emptied it and she got p!ssed off and so I refilled it. A couple of months later I got dengue that landed me in hospital for a week. A month after that a live-in relative at our place got sick with dengue and went to a government hospital. He was there 5 days until passing through the febril period and starting to recover. We're sure it was from that huge planter of water. Big mossies would fly around our place all day long. My platelets dropped to 24,000 before recovering. My relative's platelets dropped to just 7,000 before recovering! (likely his secondary infection and my primary). Dengue is a serious, serious issue in Bangkok.

Tlaking about the export markets not the domestic consumption - maybe I wasn't clear enough.

Show who? It was a Brit that invented it.. In any case, the US guys on here waving the flag and acting like the US owns the world and everyone that buys products that were associated with America originally are still American. It ain't the case and hasn't been for many years. And it's not just the US. Burger King isn't American anymore, neither is Wendy's. Tim Hortan's isn't Canadian anymore, nor is Molson (despite its adverts), and the list goes on - these well-known names are owned by multinational coprorations - often owned by big funds from various countries in a partnership from Europe, the Middle East, Brazil and the US. Much of the mining and forestry is now in the hands of Australian multinationals that operate in the US and Canada So the main point here is these duties and tariffs simply hurt the little guy who ends up paying more at the check out.

That argument is apples and 'oranges' though isn't it? The US exports 40% of its total production of orange juice to Canada - more than twice the amount it exports to the next four countries - combined. The Canadian consumers simply aren't buying it. True there are other supply problems unrelated to politics, and that could push up the price due to less supply available, but losing nearly half your market - that hurts regardless of anything else that's involved and regardless of the price. If no one is buying and they are bad mouthing your product loud enough other countries take note - just ask Tesla.

Florida orange juice WAY down. Obviosly Canada isn't buying, but where else does it sell? Europe? I see it here sometimes but never buy it. I guess Europe have their own oranges from Spain. Europe sales of Tesla off a cliff. The big test would be American icons like Coke, Lays, etc. Europe doesn't buy US cars. South America? Asia? No US cars here, but food like Heinz and other obvious names are likely taking a hit in many countries as this spreads.

Thanks - so no need to report the 4 nights in a Thai hotel?

I remember a few years back, a video on social media of a south asian man driving a car in Dusit District with those blue UN plates (looked like it was his personal vehicle, not a UN office car - no markings) . Someone cut him off I guess (not sure) anyway, he's standing outside his car yelling at a Thai driver and other Thais who stopped to watch. I think it was also in the mainstream news too.. So much for tact and diplomacy...At least no one was hurt that time. Takeaway point is that more people need to think before they act. Too many don't.

I'll be in a similar position as the OP. I'll be going up country for 4 nights, staying in a hotel, then driving back to Bangkok. Can I just ignore the few days away within Thailand, and just report TM47 in-person at CW with existing TM30? (I would bring the receipt from the hotel in case an IO at the reporting desk gets too inquisitive). Do you think that would be okay, or do I really need my landlord to file a new TM30? The one I have now expires in 2027 and is indicated on the TM30 as such... Cheers R.

Persoanlly, I think the TRD infographic is quite clear and straightforward. Most of us here 180 days+ would not need to file or pay tax, as long as the remittances (and it seems to stick with remittances as the main funding, not global income) is from resources/funds we had nested in our home country's bank (or other countries' bank) prior to 1 Jan 2024. If you are business person who rents out condos or other profit making ventures in Thailand that's clear - you will/should be taxed (if you honestly report it). The infographic was published just last year. Unless they come out with something else, this seems clear enough (at least for me). This could also explain the blanc looks some are getting at the Thai tax offices (why are you here?)

Glad I spent 7+ years building up my THB accounts here prior to 2024. If I can cruise on that for a while - at least another year or so - this mess should be much clearer (one would only hope).

Unless there is a new law in the works and about to be unveiled to tax all residents in Thailand of more than 180 days on our global income (and there could be), as expats, at present, if we are not earning money inside Thailand, and not remitting money earned/received in the 'present tax year' or since 1 January 2024, we are not assessible for taxation. Our Thai bank accounts pay interest and then tax is deducted from that at source. If we remit money to Thailand that we've had in a foreign bank account for years (2023 and earlier), it should also not be assessible in Thailand. So this generally refers to those who live here year-round and are not working of course (retirees or similar). This seems clear to me. Let's hope no law (Act of Parliament) is proposed to tax global income.