Mr Helper

I think this should be put somewhere on the site as a warning to others. These storys keep cropping up even more every year. Personally I don't have any sympathy for the bloke, coz of his stupidity! I keep seeing this time and time again. The golden rule is NEVER buy a property or any other asset and put it in somebody elses name, even if its your wife, child or own brother! Unless of course you can afford to loose it. I say well done to the Thai Girl for extracting that amount of Bhat out of the idiot. And for him.......................well here's some cheap, free legal advice. Stop trying to persue the girl through the courts, coz you got NO chance of ever retrieving one baht! There, now that should save you a million or so in lawyers, court, and other legal fee's.

But like many on this thread have said, I bet all his friends and family told him not to do it. It's alot of £££ for him to loose, but lost it he has, and he just has to deal with it now eh!

Why don't you just go to a Sunbed shop in BKK, and use their sunbeds. Spray tan would streak in that heat out there. And in sunbed shops you can get those 15 min tans

Have been watching news all week here, and don't remember seeing Thaksin with Tony Blair, or Queen Elizabeth? Infact the only foreign PM in the UK this week was the one from OZ - John Howard. Aint seen Mr T in any news here?

Theres NO USA Stretch Style limos in BKK, well at least there wasn't last year, I looked everywhere. BUT you can hire a New Rolls Royce with Chauffer to pick you up at Donny, give the 'Penninsular Hotel' a call. Also you could hire a Private Helicopter to pick you up at Donny Airport a couple of years ago through the 'Dusit Thani Hotel'.

George, why have this party in the middle of the monsoon/winter, when alot of people wont be there?

Couldn't you have waited till Feb/March when more people could have gone?

Thais can, and do; do all kinds of work in the UK. For a qualified Thai, the list is endless. There are Thais working in Banks, Stockbrokers, Lawyers, Estate Agents, Council Officers, Financiers, Pilots, oh the list is endless. Even the unqualified Thais can do other jobs, supermarkets, chauffers, taxi drivers, factory work, run their own businesses, plastering, bricklayers, painters & decorators, again 1000's of jobs. Good luck.

Wanraya................That point was made, registering yourself at a friends address. And if you gave the DHSS an overseas address, you would NOT recieve the increases. Just stick to giving them a British address. They never come and check the address anyway!.

monsieurhappy...........those ID cards wont be able to stop you doing what I said, and if you need to re-new your pasport, just go back to the UK to get it renewed.

bangkokblue>>> Yes I am talking about ALL Benefits. There are people who live & holiday in LOS, and many other Countrys round the world and claim benefits, well thats pretty easy. Most people get on 'The Sick', or DLA 'Dissability Living Allowance'. Then they will have their benefits paid direct to their Bank account (British Bank of course), and withdraw it from an ATM in Thailand, or wherever. When you check in for a flight you only need to show your Passport, NOT your 'National Insurance Card', so the DHSS would never know if somebody had left the Country.

If you were claiming 'Ordinary Dole', now called 'Job Seekers Allowance', you would have to return every 2 weeks to 'Sign On', yes you could always get a friend to go and 'sign on' for you, but that would be risky. But with the 'Sick' (now called Incapacity Benifit), and 'DLA', and 'Income Support', where you DON'T have to sign on every 2 weeks, just go for an assesment once per year, well this would make it easier for you to live or holiday for an extended visit abroad. The DHSS will only know you have left the Country if you tell them, or if somebody grasses you up!!! which is exactly what would happen if you went into a British Embassy abroad and told them you were in recipt of benefits!

It doesnt cost a penny to have your name added to the electoral roll at a friends house, also not ALL pensioners are on the electoral roll! It's not a legal requirement to be on the electoral roll in the UK.

Funny how my post about rapper 'ICE T' has turned into a discussion about 'Tiger Woods' Well I'll ask again, is anybody going, and if so can they take some PICS!!! and post them here, cheers!

Bangkokblue >>> WRONG. I worked for the DHSS, so I know. It has been changed for a few years now. That allowable 2K limit is now 1K. And UK Benefit claimants are entitled to a holiday thats right, but that holiday must be in the UK only. Your not even allowed a holiday in another European Country, even though Britain is a member of the EU. The only places off the mainland of Great Britain that you are allowed to holiday in are: Channel Islands, Jersey, Isle of Wight, Isle Of Man, and Northern Ireland (Not Southern Ireland). That has been the rule ever since I started working for them, back in 1997, and thats still the rule now. And I think you will find that Thailand is a little bit further than Jersey.

For UK Citizens...............Why tell the 'DHSS' you are living in Thailand in the first place??? Just have your weekly pension paid into a bank account in the UK, and withdraw it once per week from an ATM in Thailand!!! The DHSS will be 'non-the-wiser'. And they would never find out, and that way you will get your pension increase just like everybody else in the UK. And if for some strange reason they ever did find out, and believe me they wouldn't unless somebody 'grassed', you could just act ignorant to it; "well I didn't know you couldn't do that Mr DHSS sir".

I know this is resurecting an old post, but Im suprised even the scouser didn't pick up on this. If you are claiming benifits, you are NOT allowed to leave the Country PERIOD.

Also a person who is on Benefits would not fall into the Embassys category of being able to look after their guest, With Benefits being £120 every 2 weeks (£60 per week), for an Adult, and if your on the 'Sick' its £160 every 2 weeks (£80 per week). Not only that but the British Embassy, would be VERY interested as to how you were able to afford a holiday in Thailand, and would contact the 'DHSS' (benefits) office back in the UK, and upon your return you'd be called in by there Fraud investigation team! And if nothing else, your benefits would ALL be cancelled, as you were out of the Country. You'd be banned from claiming any type of benefit for 8 weeks!

'Ice T', will be appearing at a Hip-Hop/Rap' event at the 'Q Bar' on Wednesday 20th July. If anybodys going please take some pics, and post them on this site.

Just wondering if anybody is going to the Thai Festival on 24th July at Battersea Park :-

www.thaifestival.org.uk

If so, can you take a digital camera, and take loads of pics, and put them on this site, as I can't make it there, and would like to see some pics

Amazing............people 'STILL' wanna go and visit scum at Bangkwang. Aren't the Orphanages a more worthy visit? or the Childrens hospitals? Childrens homes? Tsunami survivor centres?

This Guy 'Steve Wilcox' (I remember this case), was Grassed up by his co-defendant 'Flannaghan' who was arrested getting off a minibus on KSR with a couple of Kilos of Heroin, which were going to be deported the next day to Europe. Wilcox was the mastermind of it all, and had been a pretty 'Big Fish' in the Thai Drug Exporting business, and had been for a few yrs. He knew EXACTLY what he was doing, and knew only too well the misery his drugs caused back in farangland.

Personally I would let the scum rot. People like that give farangs a very bad name in Thailand, and they all knew the penaltys if caught, so just let them get on with their punishment. The guy had been living in Thai for at least 2 yrs, and knew exactly what would have happened if he was caught, but still carried on regardless. And if anybody should be supporting him, shouldn't it be his family, or have they disowned him? As for the OP you aren't his real friend, you only know him through writing to him right? Where are his REAL friends from Thai or UK??? I bet they have disowned him too, and good for them. If you wanna be the guys joey/serf/whatever, then go ahead, but your being used for sure.

Why not go and visit the drug centres when you go home, and watch the pain and suffering of the addicts who try to wean themselves off Steve Wilcox's heroin, or your local hospital, where there's bound to be an old granny who's been bashed up in their own home, or mugged on the streets by heroin addicts, desperate for money to buy the heroin 'Steve Wilcox' has just had imported to his country!

And what about the families of the young kid with a bright future, who unfortunatley got led astray, and introduced to drugs, and ended up on heroin. That poor kid, a few months later, is found dead in a stinking bedsit, from a heroin overdose. Maybe you could go and be of some support to those families?

Hmmm................me-thinks he's gonna be let out of a side gate on an appeal, in 2 or 3 yrs time when it all quieten's down. Personally, if he had shot my daughter, he wouldn't have made it to court in the first place. As what 'HAD' gone around, 'WOULD' have come back around, as they say.

Just a question about Criminal records. A friend of mine wants to take his TG to UK, but has a long criminal record Now do the Embassy check somebodys record out in the UK before they issue a visa, and if so, whats the possibility of my friend getting a visa for his TG?

Secondly do they do a check where funds in bank accounts have come from?

Where the money has gone............

Maybe this could be the clue. Sitting in Brazil watching BBC world's 'HardTalk', back in March, they had, I think, was the interior Minister from Sir Lanka. He stated on the show his disapointment at the UN, and Unicef, and some Major World Charities, that when all the money was collected in, they sat on it in the bank, and still were sitting on at least 80% of the money donated, and wern't going to distribute it until 1st May!!! He protested about all the millions, hundereds of millions that had been donated by people all over the world, yet these organisations were just sitting on all the cash, in high intrest accounts. The laws regarding charitys, are that they only have to distribute a percentage of the cash (in the UK that is 30%) that was donated to the cause, and they can keep if they want, the intrest earned in accounts!!! Many charitys are huge profitable businesses!

It would seem that some people/companys have got considerably wealthy through the Tsunami

Red Bull has been in the UK for ages, since 1995, maybe even earlier I think. Remember one of the very first Playstation games called 'Wipeout'? well they were the main advertisers on that game

Just wondering..................was the stunning 'Maya Bay' on Phi Phi Li damaged by the Tsunami, and if so, how long until its fixed? But then again there was nothing to ruin on Maya bay anyway, but just want to check for sure.

Also are the longtail boat operators still available for hire from Phi Phi Don - Phi Phi Li?

Finally are the ferry companys still operating between Phuket & Phi Phi, or is it on an overpriced speedboat?

Just because somebody flys in Biz class doesn't mean they are rich. I certainly don't consider myself as 'Rich'. Business class tickets can be bought for as little as £1000 return! (73,000 baht) on the likes of Kuwait, Etihad, Turkish, and other similar airlines. KLM, Air France, Lufthansa, Alitalia etc come in at a starting price of £1300, and are much better. Its only when you go the route of BA, Singapore, Virgin, Qantas etc, where the prices start at £2500!!! And the service, and seats aren't much diferent to the KLM's, Lufthansas, and Air Frances of the world.

To get them at this low price, you need to shop around, and book & pay 'EARLY', like I do. As I say, Im not rich, and neither are the majority of people who fly BIZ class. I just couldn't stomach a 12 hour flight crammed in cattle class. The Benefits of flying business class, are the 50% - Double miles you earn, and the regular upgrades to 'First Class', sometimes you get upgraded free!!! Becoming a 'Gold Card' holder of the said airline, which enables you to Use the Business Class Lounge, and check in using the Business Class Line at the airport, even if your flying in Economy!

Evergreen Delux "Large Biz Style Seat?"

Er yeah, hmmm 38 inches of legroom compared to 60 on KLM Biz Class!, Business Class Lounge with KLM compared to erm..........nothing!!! with EVA. 40kgs of Weight compared to 30 on EVA Delux. Oh and did I forget to mention the lie back seat that reclines back to an angle of 170 degrees with KLM Biz class?!?! EVA's Delux is NO different to Virgin & BA's 'Premium Economy', hence the word 'CON' in 'Premium Economy'. Just a premium priced rip off, for people who want to pretend they're in a much better seat. EVA Economy class 34 inches legroom, EVA Delux Class "38" inches!

The figures speak for themselves.

Large business style seat with EVA indeed!

RDN: Well I would state my full reasons why I think he is guilty, but I don't want to get banned, as I have been here since Jan 2001, and my member No. is an early "197", and I haven't been banned in all this time, and don't fancy getting banned anytime soon

As far as I'm aware, the Highway Code cannot be found in Thai, and neither is the written test. Infact I'm pretty sure that the written test is in English ONLY. Not written in even French, German, or Spanish!!! But I know for sure it isn't in Thai, because I have a good Thai friend here who tried to find it in Thai everywhere. Maybe her Thai embassy might be able to help with any ideas? Afterall that is what they're there for!