Chongalulu

The only mystery is why anyone goes or chooses to live there anymore. It was the first place I ever went to in Thailand in 1989. I revisited about 10 years ago leaving after 2 days vowing never to return. It only seems to have worsened.

20 hours ago, potless said:

Another poster stated that he doesnt even bother to check Thai Airways prices because they are always too high. I felt the same until murphys law came into play. Three years back, a couple of weeks before Christmas my daughter wanted to come to Thailand for xmas. I said too expensive and dont bother checking T.A. She calls me back and has found a return flight for 496 pounds with Thai Airways through an agent.I said book it straight away. British Airways approx 900 pounds. Same last year. Return flight just over 500 pounds. The flight market is totally unpredictable. Never say never. Deals come and go fast. Looking at T.A. website yesterday for a one way flight to London in July. About 14,600 baht includes 20 kg baggage or for an extra 1000 baht or so a 30kg allowance. British Airways nearer 20,000. It varies day by day. Around 6 or 7 years ago I booked a return flight with Qantas from London to Bangkok for 100 pounds less than the British Airways price. The actual flight was operated by British Airways. Same plane.

No,this is more typical for a flight to uk in July 

Boring,so what - just another copy and paste road accident article. Couldn’t be bothered to read another Groundhog Day article that no one cares about.

On 5/15/2019 at 8:34 AM, M71 said:

Wow - Thailand is getting as corrupt and messed up as Western countries.

 

At least all of the corruption, vote rigging etc is out in the open here.

 

Don't be surprised if the most corrupt countries on the planet, the USA and Israel, now condemn Thailand for being corrupt ????

You need to do two things- read transparency.org and stop drinking/taking drugs.

3 hours ago, ThaiPauly said:

So how about marriage visas, are they exempt too?

Mine was based initially on marriage which I subsequently  changed to an extension based on retirement and plan switching back to marriage in January due to financial changes. My original visa (based on marriage) clearly says Non immigrant O (not OA) so I don’t think the marriage vs retirement aspect is relevant,just whether it’s O or OA.

6 hours ago, ryane66 said:

I guess in your estimation l am an old greezer. I am 71. Slim and fit. Regular health checkups define me as excellent. I bike 30km EVERY day.

I outworked the younger Thai workers building my home. I really don't think l am close to having a foot in the grave. Pretty sure l could keep up to you.

But I bet you still need the little blue pills for your "recreation "? ???? 

On a more serious note,as an exercising,non smoking or drinking 67 year old myself who can free dive to 12 metres the insurance companies will not be interested in any of that .,.just your date of birth.

6 hours ago, P Funk said:

CASTRATION!!

Do you mean castration or emasculation...or just not know the difference?

2 hours ago, soalbundy said:

He looks like a nice boy

He doesn’t look Burmese enough to be the guilty party....

2 hours ago, car720 said:

and as a 69 year "old fart" I am glad that some of us poor uneducated at least had the experience of some "good old days".

Of course, some of us pitched our tents in a different campsite. 

As you are perhaps trying to say,the essential difference between us is education,intelligence and wealth.

1 hour ago, Wiggy said:

For me, the photo accompanying the article sums up the Thai police farce (sic) perfectly. Just a few plods wandering around aimlessly and completely clueless, with not even a notepad in sight. Utterly useless.

You can tell the police are not taking it seriously by the lack of pointing...

22 minutes ago, car720 said:

Yes, it is a brave new world, and you are welcome to it.  Us old farts made the world so bad for you guys didn't we.

As a 67 year "old fart" I can confirm that some of us more educated type don’t get stuck in the fog of nostalgia for the "good old days ". 

My Thai is very basic (learning in your 60s is of a different order),so a few phrases get me by in restaurants etc but rely on the wife when it comes to banks,immigration etc. On the occasion where I’ve tried to indulge in a bit of conversation,especially with Thai women,they invariably say "You have Thai wife..?" BUSTED!

Just now, ThaiBunny said:

And you wonder why they're now saying they won't issue the income letter because they can't, in fact, verify that you haven't forged them (which is what Immigration was demanding of them)?

Where did it say that immigration's issue was based on potentially forged bank statements? ANY document,downloaded or otherwise, could be forged. The issue I understand was a general if somewhat vague immigration request to embassies to verify income and the interpretation of that by various embassies. Whilst self certification is an obvious problem BE required 3 months bank statements supporting the claim. I’ve not heard of the vast majority of other embassies still issuing letters doing much more stringent verification. 

Internet only paperless bank accounts are quite common in Europe and acceptance of documents printed from the same is widespread so your focus on those as the issue is ill founded.

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Maybe if you bank book showed the same transfers and other activity.

Good point and indeed it does. I recall a thread indicating that Kasikorn and others charge for the service...but then I understand that I will still need a bank letter verifying my account produced on the same day as my application?

5 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

Can an acceptable authority verify that you haven't forged them?

Any more than I could have forged letters/statements or correspondence  from the bank...?  It really depends on what the IO SAYS it requires I suppose... For example downloaded uk bank statements are accepted by U.K. authorities .

17 minutes ago, earlinclaifornia said:

Also have that Thai bank provide a statement of your account for the 12 months.

What about  online bank statements printed from my computer..acceptable or not?

4 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

Singapore has pretty good control over older vehicles they want off the road.

 

No reason Thailand couldn't manage the same program.

 

 

 

Plenty or reason why not. Singapore has highly educated,intelligent civil servants,government officials and a rule of law - Thailand has nothing even resembling that.

22 minutes ago, car720 said:

exactly what I have said.  They should both have thicker skin.

Your previously stated equivalence/ support for likening the incident to that  of a "harmless "bar room brawl is from the age of Queer bashing, wife beating (just a domestic),belting the kids, football hooliganism and racial discrimination. All those on the receiving end should have "thicker skin "too in your book I suppose?

A bar room brawl now rightly ends up with an assault charge or GBH ,by the way.

17 hours ago, eezergood said:

Phi Phi is packed - Lanta is small & you need transport

Lanta is far larger than Phi Phi and some of the other islands quoted here. It has a reasonable town (Saladan) in the north and plenty of restaurants and beach bars as well as around 25 kilometres of various beaches on the West side. It is completely different to Phuket in terms of size, development ,vibe and atmosphere (no girly bars or up tempo nightlife). For snorkeling (which I do a lot of) the main islands including Lanta are now very poor and you have to go on (speedboat) trips /tours which can be done from Lanta (about 1500 baht per head).

There is plenty of transport using the relatively inexpensive "Sam lors " 3 wheel motorcycle taxis. Hiring of scooters or a car is also easy.

That said,this is not the ideal time of year to be on the Andaman coast..

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Slightly off topic,

Nobody in the UK wants to employ people over 40 either (men or women).

When I was just over 40, I looked around me at my office in London and realised apart from senior management, I was the oldest person they employed. At 45 I accepted redundancy, never to have a full-time job again.

 

It's the way the world is moving.

 

Probably a bit of an outdated view  now. U.K. has very low (3.9%) unemployment and a workforce shortage. Supermarket checkouts and other retail outlets are full of older 60+ operatives. There are quite strict age/sex discrimination laws too - you cannot even stipulate preferred age profile on the job advert. The increasing age demographic in most western economies mean that world is moving in the opposite direction to that you suggest. 

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Could have got 10%/year in a Cambodian USD account.

Old age being any time after 60 years old.

That would require an unhealthily narrow investment strategy at the time ..not to mention hindsight...

Ill health increases exponentially with age . The NHS (U.K.) calculates that on average the last 6 months of one’s life costs it more than the rest of one’s life combined. If you have to be in a care home for the last 2/3 years of your life it will wipe out substantial previous savings. His 16k would last a few months