richard_smith237

That’s wrong. Or can you quote the section of the law which says so? Nope, you [FriendlyFarang] are wrong.... Kennw is quite correct.... Those on resident visa’s must have a Thai Licence ( a resident visa is considered a Non-Imm B of any type or / and an extension of ).

Thats actually the issue here... When the BiB do not know the details of their own laws because they simply follow the path of their colleagues. Its always better to ‘do it cleaner and better’ and remove any ambiguity whatsoever by getting a Thai Licence. The ease of obtaining a Thai licence should make all these licence discussions pretty much moot. We can argue the idiosyncrasies of the ‘exact’ laws all day long, but if the BiB is demanding a fine, even when they are wrong or in a ‘grey area' there is not much we can do.

It most certainly does not. Some police officers may accept it - one even accepted my passport but try making an insurance claim without an IDP. Mileage may actually vary... My first accident in Thailand (20 years ago) - Only a UK driving licence (No IDP), no issues. The BiB looked at my UK driving licence, the Insurance didn’t. Second Accident in Thailand (about 10 years ago) - Thai Licence, BiB not involved. Insurance just took a glance at my licence, that was it. Wife’s accident (6 years ago), no BiB, insurance didn’t check her licence at all (she’d left it at home). ------ But, all of that aside... This has gone round in circles enough. A UK license is sufficient without an IDP. Theoretically, if on a resident Visa (the driver needs a Thai Licence). Again... mileage may vary, but in my experience (and that of friends with whom these things have been discussed) insurance in Thailand tends not to be too concerned as to whether the driver has a licence or not !!!...

It came home…. The football that is…. Apparently it landed somewhere in the uk !!! A great game, well done to the French. England played very well. A penalty has to hit the target…. The French may consider themselves a little lucky, sometimes teams need that. This one’s gonna hurt it was England’s best chance at a World Cup win for a generation… they still played so well. No player on either team had a poor performance.

This story maybe confirmation bias... but this seems to happen a lot in Hua Hin ? Or, because this happened in Hua Hin where a lot of Westerners live it is more news worth to aseannow ?

Comparing a G8 nation to a developing nation... .. Do you have a point ?

Your reactions may be fine and well within limits for driving / riding. But, with certainty your reactions are not as fast as they were when you were younger, no ones are. Compare playing sports in your 20’s and early 30’s to 40’s... theres a huge difference. I agree to ‘simply applying an age limit’.... But would also test that with the question... Why not let 15 year olds drive ? - some are more mature and quite capable drivers - limits have to be set somewhere. I think 70 is a reasonable age limit for drivers to be medically evaluated before driving, 70 year olds may not like that - but a policy which is more safe for the populace is not going to be popular with those tested. I’d expect to see comments such as ‘at 80 years old I’m safer than 90% of the Thai’s driving around me’ and they might be quite correct, but we also need ‘aggregate regulation’. Of course, these regulations need to be backed up with better road safety in general - its wholly unfair to isolate age on its own when there are so many other more serious issues out there on Thailand roads. For motorcycling, reaction is more important, reaction time and making the correct reaction is of critical importance. At 60 a motorcyclists reaction to an emergency situation in front of them is much slower than at 30 year old, the metric is dynamic and also relies on other factors such as experience not just of riding, but also of specifically riding in Thailand and then of course individual attitudes and character of the individual, risk taking etc. I hope that when I am 60 years old I’m not so self-assured to falsely believe that my reactions are as good as they were in my 40’s, my perception will have altered and slowed.

Pretty much all of the Hospitals in Thailand... VUMI has direct billing with Samitivej, Bumrungrad, Bangkok Hospital...

It was April International... (Underwritten by LMG Insurance). (not sure if thats the Thai one or Global)

Instinct and common sense., eh ???... What does your instinct and common sense tell you about being able to open a car door with thousands of pounds of water pressure pushing back ??

They do. They’re known and as established as any of the other companies such as April. My Wife and Son have been covered with VUMI for the last two years. We were all covered with April before that until they *reneged on preauthorisation for treatment I received (I ended up paying out of pocket). VUMI have been decent, Wife has received treatment with no issues with the claims (direct settlement at the hospital). *I’d been pre-authorised for treatment to remove a kidney stone. I’d had a kidney stone ‘pass’ 5 year before that, which was in my medical notes. April considered a second kidney stone a pre-existing condition and refused to pay for the treatment.

Is there an ‘interpretation’ to be made here ?? The stamp is a ‘statement of fact’... You can stay until xxx date. There is no statement that you have to leave a day before xxx date.

IF it was a couple in their 30’s or 40’s its unlikely the accident would have happened in the same manner... in Thailand at least its more likely Somchai in his 30’s or 40’s would have fallen asleep at the wheel after too much Lao Khao... The manner in which the accident is described lends to the assumption that age and poor perception was a primary factor in the accident.

I have been accused of being ‘ageist’ in the past for having similar opinions. Particularly regarding older folk on motorcycles. Older drivers present an elevated risk to other road users, younger too, of course, but for different reasons. There should be no reason an older driver cannot drive if deemed fit to do so by a medical professional - that said, as mentioned the UK system is weak. My father still drives (at 84), on fast British countryside lanes, cars passing each other 2 feet apart at 50mph (closing speeds of 100mph) - watching my father drive frightens me because he refused to realise he’s no longer young, his judgement and perception has slowed, he’s clearly aged beyond a point where I’m comfortable with the safety of his driving. We’ve had discussions, but he’s stubborn. When in the UK my Wife or I drive, I’ve already mentioned my Son will never be in the car with my father driving. Yet, his Doctor deems him fit to drive every 3 years. It’s horrible to remove someones independence and freedoms by removing a licence, but hard decisions have to be made. In Worcester there is a man who’s remembered for killing his wife because he should not have been driving at 88 years old. He’s not remembered for the decades of wonderful work he did as mayor. Fortunately, the father and child in the 4x4 he’d hit head-on survived, they were airlifted to hospital. How did this accident happen ? he was too old - the person who been following the car earlier had already pulled over to phone the police and report an apparent drunk driver... (he wasn’t drunk at all - but his driving appeared that way) - that driver who’d pulled over, came across the accident 10mins later.

Most insurance policies here are any driver. Of course, it’s best to double check as some people also take out named driver policies to reduce the premium.

The Drugs don’t work…. (The Verve) - heart breaking when combined with personal (physical) loss. Make this go on Forever (Snow Patrol) - - heart breaking when combined with personal (emotional) loss.

It might not be rocket science but it certainly isn't as simplistic as you make out! Personally, I'm a multiculturalist anyway. I think the language used was incorrect, however the underling point was perhaps valid. Thai culture is more conformist than that from which many of us originate. Thus, we see more Thai’s wearing masks than Western Foreigners. For many westerners there is perhaps a greater general level of understanding of why were are wearing masks rather than continuing to wear them because everyone else is. The mask wearing itself is not ‘cultural’ but the underlying reasoning of why much of the Thai population copies the ‘Thai Population’ perhaps is.

Or a momentary ‘fad’….

Absolutely, its not rocket science Not over such a brief timescale… … If the population of Thailand has been wearing masks for decades there could be an argument that it is a cultural facet of society…. I suspect the wearing of masks will go back to the ‘cultural norms’ of pre2020 behavior & mask wearing will considered something temporary rather than anything permanent enough, lasting enough, or widespread enough to be considered ‘a facet of Thai culture’.

Is it illegal to bring in thing like Haggis or sausage etc ???

Yes it is. Take a trip to market Village Huahin and look who is wearing masks and who isn't Don’t be silly… mask wearing us not ‘cultural’… Thais we’re not wearing masks 3 years ago. Mask wearing is not cultural at all. It may be an indication of a more conformist society, perhaps even an indication of the general understanding within a society. Thai’s are still wearing masks because they don’t want to be the ‘odd one out’ . Mask wearing us no more cultural than drink diving…. It’s behavioral and readily influenced by those with influence over the populace. And no, we shouldn’t blindly adopt the local culture when visiting a foreign country… sometimes culture (and also religion) are used to explain & justify abhorrent behaviors.

Agreed…. Not a scam… Just a careless owner who…. Maybe she (the owner) doesn’t know it was dirty… or maybe she did & didn’t care. Regardless, the owner is responsible for the cleanliness of the place., The op was foolish for paying before seeing. The owner is selfish / greedy & wrong for not refunding.

He changed his mind because he was not being provided with what he paid for. Earlier you suggested that the place ‘may have been on a reasonable cleanliness’ - are you suggesting the Ops standards may be excessive & unrealistic ? (No confrontation just curious why you sure against the Op) . I agree with you… it’s not a scam, but neither is the landlord being honest - I doubt the advert read ‘dirty, with ants, in need of a clean’…. … if the add did read that I’d be with you 100% that the op is entirely responsible. But, as it stands the place was not as the Op understood it to be. The landlord has taken money for a place which was not as advertised. They should return the money.

Yup... they also use perspective to make the place look a lot bigger etc... The place is clearly not what the Op expected... who was misleading who ?? -------- I just saw my old motorcycle for sale (4 years later) - the owner (seller) is using my old photos with the add so the bike looks 4 years newer !!! - people are cheats.

Agreed on the false equivalence, but stated nonetheless to highlight the silliness of you asking 'where does it say the owner agreed to a certain level of cleanliness ?' Common decency dictates a ‘standard level of cleanliness’.... Of course not... So without proof of a photo you are just suggesting the Op is a liar... You want photos of the Ants too ? Op was lying then... is that was you are saying ? Or, the Ops standards are excessive and unreasonable... The Op complained the place was dirty with ants... I’m not sure why you are defending the owner.