Capt Rob

This is a classic example of belabouring the obvious - human behavior. Some will suggest socialism is the answer but this really changes the incharge 'crew' for the next troop of opportunists and results in population corrections of enormous proportions.

22 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Beat me to it 

As Neil Young famously stated:  "Rust Never Sleeps. 

You need to consider the action of disc brakes in two components, the disc pad and the rotor. The pad acts on the rotor to effect braking this has the combined effect of wearing on the surface of both items, primarily the wear will occur on the pad but a lesser amount will be to the metal rotor - the debri from both tend to combine and when combine with moisture the surround affected areas with show surface rust. Although normal, it can be unappealing, depending on the style and quality of your wheel rims, it may over time cause blemishing of rims. Regular washing usually suffices of the rim chrome/paint surfaces.

4 hours ago, Matzzon said:

If your wife dies, you will not have any rights to house or land, without eralier agree ment and some changes.

The first thing you can check is if the land department will agree to separate the land and the house. If you then put the house in your name, you will have the ownership of the house, and then make a land lease contract between you and your wife for as long as possible that is legal and valid after her death.

Another way would be to sign a usufruct, that gives you the right to live in the house as long as oyu live or want to stay, but that no gives you any kind of owners rights.

Regarding your wife want not want the house to go to close family. That would mean she have to change the legal rights of children or others. That is something very hard, almost impossible, and she can only do that with a lawyer by herself.

As outlined here and elsewhere but some amplification and options :

Possibly the house was paid for by you - have a loan doc drawn up for you loaning your wife, interest free the amount expended in house construction purchase.

A usufruct allowing you to live in the house / Not sure how that would work as the house would presumably be left to someone other than you / if the house was left to you, you have 12 months to sell. A will is definately called for as is legal advice.

On 9/1/2019 at 4:30 AM, GinBoy2 said:

I would agree its harder if you have ties, but given resources you do it.

 

We kept the house, it's our snowbird vacation home. Son was already in the US and wasn't coming back to Thailand. Wife wanted to follow him too, so the die was cast.

 

Sold both our truck and car, couldn't see the point of keeping them, and now we just rent a car for a few months every year.

 

I'd lived overseas for in various countries for 20 years, the last 10 being in Thailand, but I always kept a house in the US as my ultimate bolthole should I need it. 

 

I've never quite understood those who sell up everything at home, then sink it into a country, where they are at best long term tourists, with little to no rights.

 

Always always always have an exit plan from any country you live, of which you are not a citizen

Think there is a element of fantasy with moving out and selling up, but also some who feel they cannot achieve without the bold step. A number of us are 'belt and braces', if you have been fortunate enough to have the assets.

Have encountered people earlier in life, who have returned to 'home' countries particularly in UK and Europe. Often these folk lamented leaving the 'good' life behind . . . . . . . . who does not have nostalgia - places, girlfriends and/or cars left behind ( not necessarily in that order ).

The rub is one can only be in one place at a time not to put too fine a point on it . . . . .

6 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

And again.

They are out there !

21 minutes ago, Mansell said:

I am surprised they don't want retirees, mainly because there is only 30 million people living there and the country is the size of the continental USA which has 320 million people.....though a lot of Oz is uninhabitable. And getting all the foreign currency should be a boon. I'm sure Aussies on here can enlighten us.

 

Currently population is around 25 million - this figure although small by world standards is stretching infrastructure in Australia, particularly along the east coast which tends to be the destination of choice. I think people of means/self sufficient should be made welcome ( 'lifters not leaners ' as we have more than we need! ).

I think Thailand with the concept of control has the right idea but the method and application is highly flawed.

Historically, more people immigrate to, than emigrate from, Australia. At 30 June 2016, 28.5% of the estimated resident population (ERP) was born overseas (6.9 million persons). This was an increase from 30 June 2015, when 28.2% of thepopulation was born overseas (6.7 million persons).Oct 23, 2018 

21 hours ago, giddyup said:

The days of everyone speaking like Chips Rafferty or Paul Hogan are long gone.

'Stone the flaming bloody crows'

42 minutes ago, wisperone said:

From the article, there is no way for anyone to know whether he is guilty or not. Hopefully he will get a fair trial and the truth, whatever it is, will come out. But it is a reminder that if you are a foreigner, you have no rights in any of these 3rd world SEA countries. Its up to the traveller to decide if it is worth one of the many risks involved in touring these run by the seat of the pants countries. Buyer beware.

A reasonable summation of the limited facts presented - would add that unless you have a strong asset backing, every one including locals are at risk.

11 hours ago, totally thaied up said:

My Father-in-law told me we change about every five years in the 'state of persons' we really are. I think he is correct.

 

My wife and I go home to Australia after me living full time in Thailand for four years on Wednesday for a period of three months. I need to go home to mend a few fences with people and not neglect everyone as I have done for so long as in some ways. I feel some things in Thailand have changed and I need a 'time out' to look back at things to see how they are.

 

My biggest worry is to be in my 60's and 70's and be refused health coverage. If I start to prepare things now, it is something I can do over a few years as in move. There is no fear in this post as I have lived here in Thailand now for 10 years and do love the place. I have seen a winding down of many fellow farangs over the years and I think it is the fact of getting older and wondering about the 'what if's' are going to get you. What if this happens -- What if that happens.

 

I do have the money to stay here till I die but I am also looking at what will be best for me in my later years in life. My wife will look after me and for that, I am lucky but for all of us, we are so different in character that these issues will all affect us differently. I do not really want to go from Thailand but while I am young enough to have a look with my wife at something different for a few months, I will use this break to see how much Australia has changed. I may be running back here real quick after three months with my tail in between my legs saying, ''Lord what was I thinking'' as in reality, I do not know what I am returning too and that has me slightly stressed.

Good to see a topic with well meaning, if slightly pessimistic responses.

Every place changes and in Australia the "newer" crew have gone in for virtue signalling with a tendency to avoid/shout down other or independent viewpoints.

That is reality elsewhere as well, but it is still a great country and lifestyle. One hopes it does not get given away/surrendered by folk who think other folk from a completely different outlook will appreciate the opportunity to integrate.

20 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Get it out of your head that buying a truck house, fridge freezer or a pair of shorts has any impact on immigration. (Unless you bought it  off the officer). Bad they are rejecting Embassy letters, they should be valid 6 months after issue.

 

Income source (monthly 65,000) need only show as from overseas and no other proof of source needed.

You have no control of the whims of dull people who can't be bothered to read and learn the official requirements, 

Try the lump sum, matured 2 months prior, or more, make it 3 if you can. I plan to simply keep my bank balance over 800,000 all year, should work fine.

Not sure what foreign nurses getting paid in UK has to do with it?

 

 

Not sure what foreign nurses getting paid in UK has to do with it?

Think he is projecting a result from UK government's policy and a possible parallel development here in Thailand. 

16 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Agree, generally, but ...

 

And I agree with this in principle.  But, there is no way for a freeloader to operate in Thailand (unless you mean agents and their IO buddies). 
What we see happening in our passport-countries is due to "free-offers" for foreigners there, which are non-existent here. 

 

The only potential exception could be covered by an "emergency medical only" insurance plan, which could include buying a one-way air-ticket back to the foreigner's passport-country. 

Given no social-safety-net options for freeloaders to exploit, that insurance could replace all the other "money checking" bs, which is unreliable and serves no logical purpose.

JT, have no insight into the Thai goverments background concerns but I presume 'this' has the anticipated effect of cutting out the rort of agents and corruption follow on.

The use of my term potential freeloaders, confers acceptance of a proactive planning on the Thai government part, against calls on the public purse/crowd funding.

A resultant cost in dollars and bad press.

1 hour ago, Pib said:

 

Ditto...been doing that for around 9 years.  The Bt800K on deposit used for extension and emergency money purposes just sets in one or two fixed or hybrid savings accounts while I use other Thai accounts for day to day living costs.  Cheangwattana (Bankgok) immigration has never had a problem with this and never asked about the account(s) used for extension purposes showing little to no activity other than interest payments....all they were interest in was the required Bt800K amount never dropped below that amount for 3 months before I applied. 

 

Of course now it will be 2 months before and 3 months after at Bt800K and then can drop to Bt400K for the remaining 7 months of the extension year if needing to spend some of the money.  

 

But make no bones about it, before it's like a Bt800K "bond" for 3 of 12 months...remaining 9 months spend all the money if desired/needed.  But now it's like a Bt800K bond for 5 months (2 before application date and 3 after) but then dropping down to Bt400K for the remaining 7 months which can really complicate/restrict how a person can use the money for non-extension purposes.  But I expect Thai banksters are secretly grinning about the new rule.

Importing the 65K per month and then spending/investing or, possibly playing the currency market by utilising any Thai currency gains against your 'home' currency. This is perhaps the way of reducing the bankers smile - check out  ' monito ' comparison site.

1 hour ago, murraynz said:

why all the fuss about having 800,000thb in thai bank account??

splitting it up for a minimal higher interest rate, is pathetic--the interest rates are still small- then tax is deducted---what a waste of effort..

i seriously suggest that any retiree who does not readily have 800,000thb available---should not be living in thailand..

why should thai immigration let foreigners stay, year by year-- if they can barely afford to support them selves..

get real guys--at 50 plus yrs old, you should have achieved some surplus savings---surely ????

the cost of living in thailand is cheap--so what, if 800k thb doesnt give you much income...

the new rules are NOT  unreasonable...go home, if you cant afford to live in thailand....

At 50 one should have/probably have a THB800 K+ 'grab' laying around - at a later age given the erosion of investments and the vagaries of currency exchange quite possibly not.

I agree that any any government worthy of the title should empty out potential freeloaders, they only have to look at the world scene to gain motivation.

If you have a fool proof way of guaranteeing income strength and reliabilty in the decades to come I for one would be pleased to see it.

I think most folk are keen to not be a burden in later life, but hardship does occur without warning in spite of squirrelling away reserves.

2 hours ago, Laza 45 said:

A few years ago when you could actually talk to someone at Centerlink .. and I told them that I was living in Thailand they actually offered to deposit my pension into a Thai bank account..  Unfortunately I knocked it back because at the time I didn't know just how long I would want to stay here... as it turns out.. I'm here for the long haul...  So.. I am sure it can be done.. but it means dealing with their bureaucracy   but I shall try.   I had a chat with someone who gets money transfer regularly and his advice is to get them to send it in $Au.. if you buy Bt in Oz to send they charge for the  exchange service and give you a crap rate to boot..  Better exchange rate here.. and a fee of 250 Bt to 500 Bt depending on amount..  I'm sure it can be done and good solution.. I'll try again... good luck..

With regard to exchange options, check out the comparison site ' monito ' it will throw up two good options instarem and transferwise and a few others to compare with. Once you establish an account an easy process to transfer AUD into THB for a nominated Thai account in your name.

17 hours ago, Lungstib said:

Corruption is not only endemic in the people but its in the system. When you owe a superior for your promotion there will likely come a time when it needs paying back. The lack of social equality is the start of all this corruption, you must never criticise those above you, hence you can not report them. 

My understanding is that the 'pay back' is not a sometime event but rather more a scheduled stream. Perhaps not to forget obvious examples elsewhere around the globe but, organised stonewalling in many western countries is understood and accepted.

On 11/9/2018 at 1:45 PM, scorecard said:

Or make a will specifically mentioning that on your death all funds in bank account x x  x x  x xxx go to Khun zzzzz yyyyyyy.

 

Very easy to get prepared and (not compulsory) you can also get the will registered at the local amphur office. 

This will document, duly made and notarized ( as above ) has to be a Thailand will as a o/s doc will not suffice - consider lodging a copy with the bank also. 

8 hours ago, Pib said:

In my opinion when the dust settles on this which is when "HQ Thai immigration" hopefully provides updated guidance on the "monthly income option" my money is on the bet that it will indeed require an average monthly international deposit into your Thai bank....repeat, into your Thai bank account....not your bank account outside of Thailand.  Summary: monthly international deposit of 65K to your Thai bank account if using the monthly income method.

 

And accepted proof will be a bank letter with passbook/statement confirming the monthly international transfers.  This proof method is similar to the 800/400K large deposit in a Thai bank method (i.e., relies on the Thai bank versus a foreign financial company/bank) and is easy for an immigration officer to review & verify.   If feeling the provided Thai bank docs are fake the immigration office can easily/quickly contact the issuing Thai bank to confirm the docs.   It's following the KISS principle. 

 

If the docs are identified/suspected as fake during the extension renewal the renewal is disapproved.  If the the extension is approved but say a little later (a few days, week or months) later they do a verification check with the Thai bank that issued the docs and the docs are found to be fake your extension is cancelled, you are given 7 days to depart the country, and possibly even an reentry/reapplication ban of X-years depending on the situation.  I feel this is certainly and easily within the realm of possibly.

 

As more and more foreign embassies come out with this same statement taking X-amount deposited monthly into a Thai bank account it also makes it easier for Thai Immigration to implement such a policy, especially since those foreign embassies have been notifying their citizens of the income letter change.  UK/US/AU embassies have provided notifications so far.  Just these mere home country embassy notifications, whether the info in the notifications was completely correct or not, makes the change easier to implement for Thai Immigration. 

 

Our own foreign embassies are basically making it easier for Thai Immigration to shift to a monthly international deposit into a Thai bank requirement.    

 

Well done on taking the time to inform forum of what I think is the best ' guestimate ' of how it should perhaps play out in time - there is likely to be a twist that gets added but maybe I am being cynical

8 hours ago, soalbundy said:

Will be interesting to see how the European embassies react. I hope that the Germans will continue with the letter but to be safe I will now transfer 65,000 every month to my Thai account using Transferwise and hope that will suffice, interesting times we are living in.

If you are able to fulfill the One Time Password requirement ( there are ways ) ' Instarem ' will save you money, check out the currency exchange comparison site " monito " - possibly transfer when the exchange rate is right. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I know a couple of black guys, a few Muslims, Indians, and others and I have no problem with any group of people because of their skin color, origin, religion, etc.

At the same time I have eyes and ears and see what is happening in my area. I live in lower Sukhumvit and there are many black (I think mostly African) guys who hang around, doing nothing, and when you come near to them there is a good chance they try to sell you drugs.

I don't think any white guy ever approached me to sell me drugs.

So when we see lots of black guys who sell drugs it's likely that the police see them as well. And likely the police does not see any white guys offering drugs at the same area.

So is it racist if police see these suspicious guys and check them out? I think not and I am happy for once the police is doing something to fight crime.

I do not live in a 'suspect' area ( where drugs 'n gals are openly available etc ). The post here seems to illustrate exactly the reason for the preponderance of ID checks going by racial profiles. Is it warm and fuzzy ? Undoubtedly not, but when faced with such a large undertaking go for the biggest group - I think the Thais are correct in some areas of policing/immigration controls.

This is not too say that I agree with the level of bureacracy which is perhaps to perpetuate the level of staff numbers. Empire building is the term - it would be wonderful to see some streamlining to facilitate the laborious processes.

Another start being made, so hopefully it will be carried forward to achieve and maintain ' happiness for the people'.

5 hours ago, Thailand said:

Would not make sense to penalize the queues and how they are made up each day of line sitters, agents, DIY'ers etc. The numbers of persons needing to be serviced would still be the same so it still boils down to more staff to improve the situation.

TM30 reporting seems to be efficient enough. Extension of tourist visas not a problem. Re-Entry permits, again seems to be OK and can be done on departure if necessary. Extension of stay based on marriage had their own office at Prom I don't know about airport location

90 days, does seem to be longish queues, but there are other options, beats me why more people don't use them.

Same old problem, too many people requiring extensions of stay and education visas and not enough IO's to do the job(Agents and remuneration may be the problem,just guessing).

And yes, a regulated appointment system and perhaps longer opening hours would be a start- then I woke up! ????

Last nights Thai news said that queue numbers would be handed out early ( before opening hours ) and that opening hours would extend to 8pm or, queue numbers completed.

If the numbers processed are maintained or even enhanced this will obviously be a plus. Issuance of numbers ahead of opening will allow you to then find a lay-up spot ( when combined with the smart phone ) or, go home - will take a little time to work through - fingers crossed or would that be rank optimism ? 

10 minutes ago, pikao said:

Popular in parts of India and Sri Lanka. The one I liked the most was a mix from Avocado, vanilla ice cream (not sure if there was also milk in it) and crushed ice blended together

Have blended with vanilla icecream ( not too sweet )  other additives not required, then place in molds and re-freeze for a desert with a difference

17 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

There's a big difference between people who are negative toward all Thais as a people vs. being negative about many of the things here that any thinking person should be negative about, and those who are responsible for those maladies.

 

I'm not negative toward all Thais, nor do I spend my days/hours bitching about everything here on TVF. However, at the same time, just because I'm living in a different country from my home country doesn't mean I'm going to lose or surrender my values of what is right and what is wrong.

 

When it comes to Thailand, it's simply and flatly wrong that:

--the country has regressed from its path toward representative government and democracy.

--that the country has one of the highest road fatality rates in the world, and the authorities don't care.

--that the authorities allow the country's environment to be fouled and degraded in so many ways and do little to nothing to stop it.

--that a lot of the food in the country is grown or processed with harmful chemicals and pesticides that are banned elsewhere in the world.

--that the justice system often reaches absurd results, handing out extremely harsh penalties in some minor cases and yet murderers and other violent criminals often get off with lighter punishments.

--that there's a tremendous and probably growing income inequality here with the richest getting richer and the average Thai treading water or regressing financially.

Etc etc etc...

 

I don't spend my days dwelling or posting constantly on those things. But it would be kind of hard for any thinking person to ignore or not see them, and recognize that are all things that ultimately are bad and harmful for this country and everyone in it, Thais or others.

 

On Balance a good post.

Still the underlying reality is that as with most of Asia, there is no real commitment to change - in effecting change the whole system would face upheaval and especially in the upper ranks.

Still as previous posters have pointed out one needs to accept the positives as we as individuals define them.

20 hours ago, peibol77 said:

By the way, I have been in Thailand more than 20 times. And spend a lot of time here. I was just 2 months back in Spain and thought why not get me a treat for when I come back.

 

But don't let my stupid comments spoil your self-righteousness and superior knowledge of life. Enjoy it in all its glory.

Well I see there are a few more pages of comments to read . . . . . . some will be helpful and some not . . . . . . . . Misery deserves company so I can relate another scam where a gent of British persuasion churns out reconstructed bikes with totally false narratives, met with another guy who also bought via this chap in UbonR - we both lost heavily, tried the legal avenue, but in Thailand even with a very helpful competent lawyer it was going to drag on . . . . .  managed to have his advertising suspended from B & Sold. Through TV it was established that he had been at it for some time, likely still - You will probably have to accept the hit as a salutary lesson and get on with enjoyment.

8 hours ago, Nakrob said:

For the security code: Change from sms pin to the secure key fob protection. Might take a couple of weeks before the key fob arrives with you but then you can replace all sms codes with the code on the secure fob. I had the same issue with using Westpac sms overseas. I think you can request this online or give them a call.

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

This key fob is worth the effort have a couple for different banks - if you are planning on being o/s  for the long term, it can take the hassle out of banking when moving money 'here' for living, property purchase etc