balford

NZI Insurance works well for us. We have full coverage for the house, contents, personal property and all risks for around Baht 10,000 per annum.

We've never had a problem - I guess six dogs helps.

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang.

Just paint everything black - problem solved. If I can't see you then you can't see me! Mai Pen Rai...

Bob A.

Relaxed in Lampang

Despite all the denigratory comments here and in reading between the lines I'd suggest the General and his Intell units already know who is running the insurgency down south.

The military demonstrated their capacity in having very good intell on various people and situations when they kicked the police into gear to find the weapons and munitions, to arrest people they curiously 'couldn't' beforehand and generally showed just how much they knew well in advance of the announcement of Martial Law. And thanks to that intell the police are actually now doing their job...sort of.

It seems obvious that the insurgency is being run and supported from outside Thailand with these thugs coming in from the south and east, along with weapons, munitions, explosives, training, expertise and financial backing - the prospect of political involvement by both Thais and outsiders can't be discounted either.

So, to quite deliberately slag off and openly denigrate those attempting to control, isolate and eradicate these thugs without any real attempt to analyse the situation is what I'm learning to expect on this forum - bored, computer bound 'experts' who have taken up residence in a place of their choice but all to ready to criticise anything that doesn't come up to their obvious high standards as 'superior' farang from superior so-called democracies... What a bunch of losers those of you who fit this description are. End of rant.

Bob A. P....d off in Lampang

Politicians and integrity... It just doesn't sound right. Good for a big laugh though and not just in Thailand judging by the shenanigans in Australia, USA and elsewhere...

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

And that article is exactly why the military in interim government needs to have some control over the media so as to ensure fair and unbiased reporting without applying undue and unethical pressure pending a new Constitution in which hopefully ethics for the media are inscribed. As stated above, the article should have been pulled.

The media world-wide and that of the Murdoch empire in particular has a history of distorting news to their own agenda or purely for sensationalism rather than reporting the facts and have for too much influence on the political stage.

Murdoch himself stated that he was going all out to ensure the conservatives won Australian elections over Labor through his media. So much for balance and ethics.

Bob A.

Relaxed in Lampang

I didn't even know she had a head...

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

In Australia this pair of thugs would get a severe thrashing with a wet lettuce leaf and if they did it again it would be with a dry lettuce leaf...and they'd be able to get the dole and social services.

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

Halitosis is better than no breath at all...

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

And there's an item on breaking news (Bangkok Post I think) to the effect that the shipper of the supposed phone has been caught out defrauding the customers a second time. He didn't send the phone in the first place but posted the rock instead.

So much for all the accusatory posts out there, blaming the postal system in their infinite wisdom and their 'guilty before judged' attutude in true bush lawyer arrogance.

And for the record I have never had anything misplaced by the Thai postal system but the Australian and American systems are different stories...

bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

I don't see the relevance of this in terms of a Spouse/Marriage Visa which is renewed annually.

The rules as I know them are that Baht 400,000 is required in a bank account in the applicant's name OR Baht 40,000 per month income, plus the marriage certificate, photos of the property, plans of the property, etc., and then you await the process which may take quite a while before you have the visa extension stamp. I have a retirement visa so correct me if I'm wrong.

But, the Thai embassy in Canberra has informed a mate who is settling in Thailand later this year that the Spouse/Marriage visa no longer requires the Baht 400,000 and that the application form is much simpler and takes only three days to process. I have seen nothing in support of this and I wonder what the interpretation will be (if it is confirmed) at the various immigration offices and Chiangmai in particular.

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

Don't know where it's not raining but here in Lampang I've recorded 308mm for the peiod 1 May to 1 July and 228.7mm for the same period last year...

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

And this is the same America that is dictating terms to Thailand through both the grossly inept Kerry and the hypocritical Ambassador Kenney?

Give us a break!

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

Nice building but then, architects and politicians design monuments to themselves while engineers create problems so they can then solve them... And all with a bugger you Jack, I'm OK attitude.

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

Welcome to Thailand where Rule No. 1 is expect the unexpected.

The story isn't far fetched at all for the cynics out there as it's happened to me in a remote village out of Udon Thani for a Tambun Baan - after travelling from Bangkok - also at weddings and at a funeral. 38 years and I still haven't learnt.

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

I get the 90-day formalities done in Lampang now - the officers travel from Chiangmai on Tuesdays and are there round 1100 hours. They are still getting organised but it's painless and more convenient than travelling on Highway 11 and then cheating death (just in many instances) in the chaotic Chiangmai traffic.

I do the Retirement Visa Extension in Chiangmai and whilst it's essentially a day wasted it lets 'She who must be obeyed' loose in Airport Plaza and we stay overnight to catch up with friends or shopping. Despite the online queue always being booked out - and at times well BEFORE the 100 days they stipulate - we have never waited more than a couple of hours anyway. The process is relatively painless and the officers very efficient.

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

Over the last seven years we have not had one item go missing, nor have we had anything damaged through any fault of Thailand Post.

But, the two items that did go missing didn't get past one of the Sydney mail exchanges as the people there thought they'd like the items, one a personal gift, better than we might... They got caught and it was published in newspapers there. So, check the reliability and honesty of the system in your home countries first.

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

Politicians? Superannuated dole bludgers would be more to the point.

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

Aaaah, an idea! 'The Hub of Selfies with Soldiers'... A sure fire winner with overseas tourists - providing of course governments and their embassies give factual information on the situation instead of covering their backsides.

As a tourist I'd be feeling much safer with the army on the streets and in control in contrast to the thugs and goons that have been present over the past few years.

And all of a sudden the police are out actually doing their job and actively seeking the publicity, while the army finds the weapons stockpiles and thugs the BIB conveniently knew nothing about - or did they? Amazing...

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

Curtains with UV protection will certainly help and if you have a good security screen door you could open the main door and windows for a while to allow cross-flow ventilation once you arrive home. The the air-con can then work without too much of a load. We had a similar situation in Darwin and got around it with these simple tricks.

When we turned the air-con on we usually turned it off around midnight when it had cooled down. Hope this helps.

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

If it had happened in Australia she'd be severely thrashed with a lettuce leaf and her parents punished for not watching her 24 hours a day. It's a PC nanny state...

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

They'd be better off getting rid of the garbage first - two legged, the stuff people throw away and the pollution...

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

In this day and age the media doesn't report news, it distorts and regurgitates it for its own ends. You only have to look at the garbage coming from the Murdoch 'empire' and its so-called newspapers, including Australia's worst rag, the Northern Territory News. The other very real problem is that the media collectively sees itself as a 'king maker' in quite deliberate political campaigns either for or against the parties of its choice - again, read Murdoch.

End of rant...

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

My wife and I had experience with Tilleke and Gibbons when I was adopting our daughters many moons ago and we will never use them again. Similarly a lawyer in Canberra tried the con trick but I ducked out as luckily, I was in the RAAF overseas.

Lawyers - liars for hire, bottom feeding scum suckers or scum feeding bottom suckers...these are just some of the less caustic descriptions I've heard.

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang