bikerbri

2 hours ago, tontraveller said:

and 10,000 baht each 5 years...

200 baht more than the existing visa extension, but money up front. 

6 minutes ago, Chainsaw said:

Forget BUPA!!!

As soon as you get to 70 (71 in my case) they send you a nice letter saying you will no longer be insured at the present premium rate, but you can apply for BUPA International with sky-high premiums - yeah right!

This was after I'd been repeatedly assured that I would be insured for life at the present premium rate as I had continuous cover with them, starting when I was 57.

BUPA has had more than 200,000 baht in premiums from me over the years which would have gone a long way to paying for any medical costs should I fall ill.

 

In a converse way it was a good thing that they cancelled my cover as I had become complacent with the knowledge that if I got sick, I was covered.

It was a wake-up call for me. I realised that it was up to me to look after my health, so I started exercising regularly and watching what I was eating.

A year down the line and I feel healthier and fitter now than I did when I was 60!

I have a small health insurance plan now with low premiums and a special bank account strictly for any medical issues.

 

 

Strange! I am 72 and have just renewed with a small increase in my premium, my family policy,which I took out before I turned 60. I have a lot more out of BUPA than I have put in.

This country is in big trouble. Exports are declining.Tourist's are finding new locations. The Thais are trying to talk up an economy that is in decline. Thailand needs cash and lots of it.The current visa extension cost Baht 1,960.( Baht 9,800 for 5 years ) The new 5-year visa cost Baht 10,000, a gain of Baht 200 or Baht 400 over ten years. No one can tell me that this going to fix the Thai economy. No this is not about helping farangs. This is about getting rid of the farangs with the string vest,propping up the bars in sin city and changing the image of ping pong Thailand. Who,already living here, would, in their right mind, put Baht 3,000,000 into a fixed account? Or more to the point who,already living here has that amount of free cash in the first place? I have never met a Thai yet who didn't try and screw more money out of a situation and this new visa, which sounds too good to be true and does not favour the Thai need for cash needs more explanation.

Shocking!

The strength of the Thai Baht makes exporting more expensive. Exporters are determining the price of rice in the hope they can sell more and increase their profits. Thai farmers are at the mercy of exporters and the middle man. Water content is the excuse used by the middle man to deflate the price of rice,and that is before it is even harvested. In Europe farmers have clout and are well organized and Governments are obliged to subsidise them or face riots. The problem with Thai farmers is they are not acting collectively and therefore do not have the power to change the system. We hear all the time that Thai farmers are the back bone of Thailand,but this is just lip service perpepuated by a Government in whose interest it is to keep farmers in their place,poor and in debt to the banks. The agricultural sector in Thailand needs vast amounts of investment. The generals are more interested in toys for the boys than looking after the back bone of Thailand. Once again short term thinking.

Thats because they all work in Thailand.

Wishing,hoping and praying! Short term measures never work,ask Yingluck.

Why has he waited this long??

Please let me know if I am mistaken, aside from Tourists, but regarding Foreigners who live here, do you not pay the Thai price if you show a Thai driving license or yellow book?

Short answer.... No!! Experience has been, seen as a 'farang'; no exception whether been here long term or not. You're always a 'farang'.

When Thai's introduce themselves and ask me who I am, I reply a farang.It really pisses them off.

The fact that she has had her appeal turned down opens the door for a civil action. Twelve live's lost because of this woman's reckless driving deserves a huge payout to the families concerned.

Most of the doctors and surgeons working in private hospitals have their full time jobs in the public hospitals.The easiest way to find out if you are being ripped off by the international hospital is to find out the surgeons public hospital and ask them to quote a price.I have done this and was quite surprised how the price came tumbling down when I mentioned that I had an alternative quote.Never ever get an International hospital to prescribe you with medications,they will charge you double what your local pharmacist will charge.

A few token crumbs.

If the junta really went after the corrupt, including the military, in Thailand, the country would stop dead in its tracks.

Full stop.

Not dead yet,but getting there. The Thai economy is built on corruption.

Another 5 day holiday!!

So now we have legalised loan sharks.

That's 10,638.29 Baht/ tourist. A little hard to believe me thinks.

Arn't Thai's coloured? I have seen some very black Thai's.

Whats with the four photo's?

This has been advocated before. The last time people were to be offered a feed in tariff if they put solar panels on their roofs. About a thousand households had the panels installed only to find out afterwards that they needed a factory license before they and the country could reap the benefits.

Only a matter of time before those who advocated a change in the leadership of the country start to wish they hadn't.

Real Thai Culture. Shouldn't they be dressed more properly,or does it just apply to motor shows?

Maybe he should study how Lee Kuan Yew did it for Singapore.

Lee Kuan Yew was a dictator

A dictator is a ruler who wields absolute authority. A state ruled by a dictator is called a dictatorship. The word originated as the title of a magistrate in ancient Rome appointed by the Senate to rule the republic in times of emergency (see Roman dictator and justitium).

Sound familiar?

Has any one thought to ask the the tourist what happened?

Power corrupts.......Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Like a disease corruption is endemic,natural to and characteristic of a specific people or place. In other words corruption is every where as are the people who condone it. Instead of just talking about corruption, which we all know is endemic in Thailand, there needs to a proper investigation into the power the Royal Thai Police have,because this is where the corruption is endemic.

If you haven’t moved to Thailand yet, understand quite clearly that Thailand is a place and like any place it has its share of problems. Those problems and the solutions to them are usually different to the problems and solutions in their home country.

Can anyone tell me the difference? There are thieves , corrupt officials, crooked police, scam artist, drug dealers, discrimination, double standards in every part of the World. There is no difference.The only difference is that where I came from there are laws,which are for the most part are accepted by the population and where they aren't something is done about it. Telling people to go back to their own countries is the usual calling of people who love to bury their heads in the sand and whose glass may be half full but its doubtful that they are happy with their lot. Or could it be that Chiang Rai is some kind of utopia we all need to visit when we are too old to complain?