ronnie50

Build the wall as high as you like - maybe you're not paying attention. Canada is in the process of ignoring the United States, not buying its sh!t, not visiting there, and finding other trading partners. Finding other trading parrtners and increasing those that exist is easy enough. Will there be a hit on the Canadian (and US) economy over the next year? Yes, of course. And if Trump wants to completely back out of the US Canada Mexico FTA, that's already been factored in too by Carney. Remember, this guy was the head of the Bank of Canada AND the Bank of England. Sitting in the same room across from Trump is like an Oxford Don sitting opposite a kindergarden child with crayons (and bone spurs).

She's not. I was clear that I don't condone what the tenant did. Two wrongs don't make a right. But if the landlady is a serial swindler who has never returned deposits, then she just had her cummupance.

There was a similar case where an older tourist fell down a short flight of stairs (like tep steps) leading to a hotel ground/lobby level. I forget where exactly - a resort area I think (2 years ago?). Deemed an accidental death - banged his head on some ornaments next to the foot of the stairs as I recall.

As I posted earlier, and as someone above has proved, there is a legal route in Thailand through the courts who will order the repayment. But what do you do if you're in a position where you need to leave the country soon and don't have the luxury of time to take the landlord/lady to court? This could be the case here and in many other cases - and the landlords bank on that time pressure to hang on to the money. If this owner has done this before, then she had it coming - Som Nam Na. (looked her up BTW, she's a minor internet influencer 'princess' with lots of followers but follows no one back.)

At least we know who NOT to rent from in Phuket.

Caught for what? Did she commit a criminal offence - or a civil offence? Scribbling on the walls and throwing ripped feather fillows around in a private property is hardly a criminal offence. Do you think the local police or Immigration should hunt her down for this?

When they're not suing the foreigner for libel at every turn...

While I get your point, in principle (about trashing the place), I disagree with your statement: "If it was a deposit problem, then it´s single fault for the tenant.." How do you figure it's the 'single fault of the tenant' if she made the deposit in good faith and is now being denied a return of the money upon departure (pre-trashing)? The way it's supposed to work - and the Thai law backs this very well as I recall - is that upon vacating day, the owner or agent inspects the property together with the tenant to look for any damages (2 copies), and if none is required, by law, the owner is to refund the deposit (immediately or promptly - can't remember the exact words). If there is any damage it is carefully noted and (3?) quotations for repairs are required in name of owner. The repair cannot be an 'improvement' to the original state when the tenant moved in. This is all spelled out in Thai law, and is in line with many western countries and their laws on tenancy, rights and oblications. Thre's also a time limit for all this. The fact the tenant went to such extremes remaining in the condo, waiting a few days for her deposit to be returned, suggests the owner or agent told her she was not getting any deposit returned and they wanted her to leave. So then she trashed it. Not condoning her action. Most foreigners don't pursue their rights, and many (not all) Thai landlords just ignore/deny them and wait for them to leave the country (or so they hope). My understanding is the Thai judges will actually side with the tenant in court - foreign or otherwise - if the owner is unfairly retaining the deposit (Note: if you use an agent to find a place and a lease, I've heard the agent usually gets one month of the deposit as their fee-for-service (eg. owner pays the agent one month).

Exactly. Tipping is not really the core issue in the US. The real problem is a country whose culture is revolted by any social regulations in the workplace (or anywhere else for that matter). If the waiters were paid $15 an hour - the bare minimum wage in most western countries - and then a discretionary 10% tip was left up to the customer then that would make much more sense. But it won't happen because that would be "socialist".

If the service is good and the food is brought hot to the table, and the waiter follows up to see if all ok, then I don't have a problem with 20%, but I'm not going to pay 20-25% tip on a $100 bottle of wine if the waiter just opened it and left it on the table up to us to fill our glasses.

No I'm not blaming the victim, who was plying their trade like everypone else and in the same place as everyone else. My thinking was simply to make it safer for them and end some of the needless fighting and BS that goes on in relation to it on walking street, etc. Look, years ago there was 'boyz town' on the soi near the entrance to walking street. That was pretty "straight"forward. If you went into those bars, you'd know what to expect. I don't think many tourists these days can tell the difference between a well turned out ladyboy/postop (like the victim) or a woman (who are now everywhere mixed in with the female sex workers). It wasn't like that 20 years ago. So my point is segregate so everyone understands where to go and what they can expect to find, and make it safer. Hope that's clearer.

That's quite an increase. It would backfire as others have said. Expats would clean out (most) of their Thai baht accounts and come in and out on visa exemptions or tourist visas - with a break in between them long enough to hang out in Vietnam (for cheap) for several months. More difficult for families of course. Still, it could drain millions of baht out of the economy.

Correct. I was told by BOI that, in order to be considered for the 80K, you have to show minimum of 12 months passive income (e.g. pensions, inerest payments, investment yieds, etc.) in excess of 80k

Not condoning the deadly reaction at all, but again, I think they need to move all the transgenders and ladyboys to an area on the very edge of Pattaya, clearly marked in various languages, and not mixed in with female sex workers on walking street or adjacent sois. That way, whomever wants that kind of kink, knows where to go. As is, at the very least, it can create confusion for some naive tourist like this Chinese guy, at worst it can lead to violence when they go back the hotel and the punter learns the 'lady' has a bigger st1ffy than him. Then there's all the fights with the transvestites and drunk punters on walking street (and Soi Bangla in Phuket).

Lowest minimum wage in the western world..in the world's biggest economy.

I've noticed more places add a service charge automatically to the bottom of the bill - usually 10% - and THEN another 7% VAT on top of it all. They are in the minority, but I mean should a waitress at FUJI or Greyhound (as examples) automatically get 150 or 200 baht tip, when in other places I leave maybe 40 baht?

Nah. Amateur stuff. Remember THIS guy at a Las Vegas hotel in 2017 who killed nearly 60 people and wounded 500 from his hotel window and a rapid fire weapon? Not an immigrant. A good-ol' boy from America with lots of guns. https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/las-vegas-shooting/las-vegas-police-investigating-shooting-mandalay-bay-n806461 In America, you are what you shoot.

There was a similar discussion about this a couple of months back when the US was planning to upgrade Thailand. The feeling at that time (by American posters) was that most US carriers wouldn't bother flying here to Bangkok - regardless of FAA upgrade. Maybe THAI will fly to LA again. Air Canada operates the only non-stop from Thailand to North America at present - but it's seasonal - and the seasonal flight might have already stopped now.

Hmm, worse traffic than the polluted one-way giratory of CM city? When they think their crumbled red brick wall and a dirty dried up moat is a great tourist draw, you gotta wonder about their medium-long term visitor plan. CM just gets more attention because of the old-money Chinese immigrant families that live there (e.g. higher GDP than other secondary cities). Probably half of the population is Chinese-Thai in CM. Maybe that's why the Americans band together up there. The Chinese-Thai would be suspicious of the farangs living there (competition for business). Strength in number I guess. BTW - not sure who's been to Khon Kaen in recent years, but it's also on the fast train line from Kunming, and the development of the city is almost unrecognizable. I hadn't been there for some years until a few months ago. (No, I wouldn't move there either - just making an observation).

Spot on about Chiang Mai city. Been that way for years. Retired Americans seem to gravitate to it - don't know why. Pai and Lamphung seem to be their other favorites - perhaps they have secret clubs up there.... Maybe outside of the city in the hills of Chiang Mai might be okay. Not for me though - Bangkok still number one, despite its well-reported issues.

Maybe, but post-Brexit, many miss the Romanian girls.

Fully agree. But its geographical size (e.g. similar to Phuket) worries me that it will be the next 'Phuket' even though it is not on the 'sea' but on the calmer waters of the Gulf. That would ruin it. They already can't handle the solid waste/trash.

Aside from the character support/assassination flip-flop posts, the article says she was suffering from 'renal failure' - which I believe is stage 3 or 4 of kidney disease. If treated properly with dialysis, it should have extended her life by five-ten years or so (do we know when 'renal failure' was diagnosed)? If she was heavily overweight or obese (I recall she was just overweight), perhaps this was medically induced suicide. Still - three kids left behind. Sad for them

Yes, they must know about it. Just sending a message to the US Embassy, probably, that they are still best friends with Washington and will crack down on the Chinese if Trump goes easy on the tariffs. Let's see how many American-owned Thai nominee places they bust.

So Chinese businesses in other words. Vast majority of the condos in behind Ratchadaphisek (Ruam Mit) are Chinese owned, and if you've ever been to Royal City Avenue in the last year (aka RCA), you'll see it is unrecognizable - almost all the signs, restaurants and bars are Chinese - menus, signs, etc. - no English or Thai. A couple of the big Thai nightclubs remain on RCA, but that's about it.