Enzian

I got my PhD from Berkeley but most of my close professors had come from Harvard, so I say I got a Harvard education in northern California.

Chula is interesting because I'm planning to switch to their hospital after some unhappiness with Bumrungrad.

Looking at the above, the heat is definitely affecting a lot of people. Meanwhile I'm sitting in Berkeley where it's currently 14C.

Italy only #8 on the list? Good. Everyone stay away, the land of scams and bad food and wine. You won't like it.  /s

How much longer? I left Thailand on Feb. 3, been in the US and Europe since, but am returning to BKK May 7. Could it just keep going through May and part of June?

Perhaps the PT government should keep it up with this flailing about cluelessly trying to solve problems which are ultimately structural and which they really don't want to address. ATM Google pegs the baht at 36.7; it has been falling since March 9. Let's get popcorn and see how long this can continue.

I read the headline like there's a new party called No Move Forward that we need to get to know. Then I remembered there already is, it's the deep state power elite.

6 hours ago, rickudon said:

7 hours ago, Dolf said:

 

Southern Spain is only green if they irrigate,

I'm in southern Spain, Andalusia, right now. The arabs in control stepped up irrigation on a massive large scale 800 years ago. Nothing new.

On 2/18/2024 at 5:51 AM, KhunLA said:

Just seems other destination are more modern (if wanting), but definitely cleaner.  The amount of trash and unmaintained building here/TH is quite surprising.  A simply coat of paint would do wonders.

I agree and my favorite is that yellow building on the corner of Sukhumvit soi 4 across from the gas station. Does anyone bother to look at the upper floors of that eyesore? (A coat of paint would not help, the relative humidity would ruin the paint in a couple of years.) But I suggest hat the mentality behind that ugly thing is part of what makes Nana Plaza possible, so no one cares.

Has the BoT Governor anywhere laid out a list of the "underlying structural problems" he's referring to? That's what would be really interesting, as well as why Srettha presumably doesn't want to talk about those problems or discuss ways to address them. Reform doesn't seem to be his strong point; the status quo is.

And honestly I don't see the country in economic crisis. It's not doing well, but it's not falling apart. All too often populist politicians claim "crisis" as a motive for action, when what they want are actions that result in them having more control, not in improving the lives of everyone involved. 

1 hour ago, newbee2022 said:

If you are occupied since 80 years....how would you feel? Enough is enough? Or say thank you, we don't need freedom?

They had opportunities for a separate state and turned them down. And they have never offered to give up the official policy of calling for the eventual destruction of Israel and the death of all the Jews.

My son put in an order for a medium sized transfer from Chase US either late 26 or early 27 west coast time, and Chase emailed me that it had been sent at 6:11 PM Bangkok time on Wed. 27. My Thai bank informed me at 5:21 PM the next day, 23 hours later, that they had it. I will not need to make another wire transfer until 8 to 10 months from now, and I will have records to show the money came from the US Social Security Administration. Best I can do, maybe we will know more by then.

Edit: Looking at the post directly above, I understand this has been the case, but obviously a lot of people like me are assuming '23 earnings will be grandfathered in effect, or the practice of non-enforcement will continue. Luckily in my case I'm not married, no kids here, on a month to month lease, and have a lot of other reasons that a relocation to California would make sense at this point. Happy New Year everyone.

3 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

My plan for 2024 tax is almost complete:

The description you outline is close to what I've decided. I've bulked up my Thai account here to just over 1 mil. I use the 800K in the bank method. Conveniently my Non-O rolls over at the end of each December. Iirc after 3 months the figure can fall below 800K (but not below 400K) until 2 months before renewal. I already have plans to be gone Feb-March-April. I'll spend down the Thai account and use CCs as normally. I have one account in the US that virtually the only activity is Social Security deposits; when I do refresh the Thai account towards renewal it will be from that account, and that may be the first and only transfer during the year, baring something crazy in exchange rates.

9 minutes ago, Eudaimonia said:

It's your 2023 offshore rental income, so you can remit now and file a tax return in March showing it as assessable 2023 income remitted in the same year it was earned. Or you can wait until January and get it tax free.

I won't even be in Thailand in March 2024; I have a flight out 1st week February and do not intend to reenter for about three months, possibly more. I've never earned money in Thailand and never filed a tax return here, and have never anticipated or been told that I have to file in 2024 to account for the various remittances I made with current income during 2023. Is this stated somewhere? That it is something that applies to everyone? Can someone clarify?

Wait. I've been intending to remit an almost token US 4 or 5 K collected lately from my tenants in the US this week, just before the new year, to bulk up my (one mil plus) Thai account a tad and then just spend the account down all during 2024 until just  two months before my Non-O renewal, which conveniently, in my case, comes up in the 3rd week of December 2024. And by that time we might all know more. Or would it be better to remit that 4 or 5 K in the first week after New Years?

Wasn't the problem that the policies were written to the effect that if one were diagnosed with Covid at all that a certain payout was guaranteed regardless of the actual costs of treatment? This could be on a list of the top ten most crazy things that have happened in Thailand in this century. I had one of those policies, tested positive but didn't go to a doctor and get paperwork so there was no point in filing, and besides by then I really didn't believe they would pay.