newnative

Totally missing the point. Did I read the 'detailed court verdict?', you ask. Of course not. Did I 'read the cases of both sides?' Again, a big no. Neither will 99% of the people who see the news article--and, apparently that also includes you, from your above post. Many readers will come to the conclusion, as I did, that Thailand is being vindictive and petty to a large company that is important to Thailand. It's all about perception--and the perception is bad. Your final sentence makes my point nicely: 'Yet you all jump to the same conclusion that Thailand= wrong.' Yes, we're all coming to the conclusion that Thailand is wrong in its actions in this case, and it's not a good look for Thailand, especially given some past bad behavior with foreign companies working in Thailand. I stand by my previous post.

As others have said, number 1 in the World in 2021. Neck and neck with VW for the title in 2022. '...not too many people are buying Toyotas elsewhere.' Maybe the dumbest forum statement ever--certainly my nominee for 2022.

Way to shoot yourself in the foot, Thailand. Terrible, short-sighted, flat-out dumb decision. Learn to play the long game. Is there nobody in charge with a working brain willing to step in and waive the penalty? The goodwill garnered would be worth 10 times the fine, and also show other companies Thailand wants to work with companies doing business in Thailand, not gouge them.

No thanks, too.

Thanks for posting. I compared Pattaya, a beach city in Thailand, to Myrtle Beach, SC, a beach city in the US. Apples to apples. The calculator told me Myrtle Beach is 3 times as expensive to live in as Pattaya. Knew it would be more expensive but 3 times as much was a good confirmation of what I've said a number of times that it is much cheaper for me living here than somewhere similar in the US.

Not sure exactly what you're getting at with your Bangkok condo description but my partner and I actually own a 52 sqm condo in central Bangkok, next to Phetchaburi MRT. Not quite 60 sqm but not too far off. We're on the 37th floor of a very nice project, with a doorman--apparently a big thing. Recently read about a condo buyer suing a developer in NYC because she bought a condo for 19 million dollars (not baht!) believing the salesman that there would be a full-time doorman. And, there wasn't. 19 million bucks and no full-time doorman. Oh, the humanity! Q Asoke condo, also nice, is next door. The Address Asoke condo is across the street. I will be the first to say that none of the 3 projects is a 98 Wireless. Few are. But, all 3 would be considered on the higher rather than the lower end for Bangkok condos, with a desirable location quite near to a metro stop and the Airport Link. Nice neighborhood with a number of private schools, a large, new sports field, and we've been watching a spectacular new Mormon Temple complex being built across the street. Our project has large pool, air-con gym, 5 floors of garage parking, sauna, men's and women's shower/ locker rooms, yoga room, big library, large sky lounge, sky garden, theater, big lobby with concierge, children's playroom, a meeting room, and a games room. Not sure what other amenities an American condo would have--I know the US condos I owned, in nice projects, had far fewer amenities. Anyway, we paid 6 million baht (not dollars) for our doorman condo. About $171,000. Spent another 500,000 baht doing some upgrading. Doubt you could buy something similar for that price in the 'big city first world country' you speak of. No oven but gorgeous granite counters and backsplash in our custom kitchen. Can't say we miss an oven--prepared food and restaurants are everywhere and so reasonable. Monthly maintenance fee is 45 baht a sqm, so 2,340 baht a month, about $67. Wonder what the average condo monthly maintenance fee is for your first world condo. I know I was paying $250 a month with the last condo I owned in Virginia. Plus a homeowner's community fee and property taxes.

I looked at the listing, too, and came to your same conclusions. Never a good sign when you see 'needs some TLC'. Translated: Needs some big bucks. Someone can always cherry-pick and find some dump somewhere to try to back up their argument. Speaking of fruit, he could at least compare apples to apples and find a dump in a place that matches Thailand's year-round nice climate.

I find everything's good value here except booze and automobiles. Best value is housing--no matter what you're looking for and no matter if you are renting or buying. Partner and I just bought a 3 bedroom/4 bath single-family pool villa with 2-car garage in a gated project just outside of Pattaya for 7 million baht. About $200,000. Could we buy the same thing for $200,000 in a gated project just outside a beach town in the US? Hardly. And, there are pool villas for much less than 7MB here, too. The variety of housing at good value is a big plus. Same for seaview condos--of which we have owned a number of here in Pattaya. Could not begin to own a seaview condo in the US--way too expensive to begin with and we'd likely be killed with the high insurance premiums. Plus much higher monthly maintenance fees, taxes, etc.--another not just good but great value here. Something needs fixing? No problem here. Easy to find someone to do the work--at a very reasonable cost. Try that in the US. Friends of ours bought a new house in Florida. A number of problems need fixing but they've been waiting months for the builder to find workers to do the repair work. We are definitely spoiled here having someone to clean the pool 3 times a week and do the yard once a week for a price we can easily afford. Great value any time you need to have work done--anything from landscaping to having someone do wallpapering, plumbing, electrical, etc.

I have no interest in designer clothes, just as I have no interest in buying a car just for a certain badge on the hood. Now that I can afford it, I do spend more on clothes to get a better quality. I tend to buy for comfort, fit, and easy care. When I find a brand and item I like, I'll buy a number of the same item in different patterns and colors. I like a particular Uniqlo walking short--fits perfectly, great fabric for this climate, and it comes out of the dryer wrinkle-free. I have them in every color offered. The same for shirts. I've found a brand I like that fits me well and no ironing needed. Probably have 15 or 20 of them.

No financial worries, unlike my younger years, and I enjoy living in Thailand. As others have mentioned, my only concern is my health and the health of my family members as we grow older. I hope we can all stay as healthy and as vital as possible.

Unlike Trump, who had 60-some court rulings telling him he lost the election and he respected none of them.

If you're staying '3-4 winter months' you're not really a tourist in the normal sense--someone visiting for a week or two, seeing the sights, and then leaving. Rather, you're a part-time resident, settled in for months and, as you said, likely renting an apartment for your extended stay--or, perhaps, a part-timer who keeps a condo in Thailand and comes to escape the winters. I maintain there's a difference between the two but respect your point of view.

Yes. I've been getting a reminder email telling me my 90 day renewal is coming up. If you do it on-line when you get the reminder, you should still have time to go in person if a problem comes up.

I think you'd be better off buying a property and renting it long-term. Time your last rental to when you will be needing the property for yourself. You might not earn quite as much income but you will likely have far fewer headaches. Likely far less damage to your property. Likely far fewer run-ins with the law. Then there's the question of who will manage your property? Who will check in and out the illegal renters? Who will inspect the property for damage/lost items and clean the property after each check-out? Who will be on hand to handle all the problems that come up?--and there will be problems coming up with short-term renters here to party hearty. Who will take care of arranging for repairs? Who will find someone to do the work, inspect the work, and then pay the repair person? If you don't plan to do all this work yourself you will need to pay people to do it, cutting in to your profit, supposing there is a profit when non-rental, no income days are figured in. Which brings up whether you still pay your workers even when there are no rentals. If not, will they still be available to work for you when you do have a rental? I'd rather deal with one tenant on a long-term contract, if I was inclined to be a landlord, which I am not having done it.

But, I did get it. Love doing it on-line and hope it keeps working.

The last on-line report I did was immediately accepted but it took several days before I got the email with the attachment to print out for the paper slip for the passport. Jomtien Immigration.

Unless it's a huge amount of money I don't think my life would change very much. Maybe upgrade a bit here and there. I did inherit some money last year. Invested half of it in stocks and banked the other half while I think about what to do with it. My parents were conservative with money--likely why I inherited some--and I guess that rubbed off on me.

In 2019, European tourists stayed an average 16.8 days in hotels; Americans, 14.4 days. Not 'an average 4 weeks'. The average for all international hotel guests that year was 9.26 days. Sounds about right to me. My sisters visited in 2017 for 10 days. That average stay has remained pretty consistent since 2010--always 9 days and change except 2012 when it was 10.2 days.

Fire him.

I agree with Dan O. Set up a trust. My family used Merrill Lynch to handle our family trust of my Dad's stock portfolio after his death. I would check with several reputable firms, explain your situation, and see what they an come up with.

A bit of information to pass along. I sent an email to the 'LTR Visa Unit' asking if property investments made in the past but no longer owned would be considered when meeting the requirement of $250,000 invested in Thailand if your yearly income is over $40,000 but less than $80,000. I have bought a number of condos in foreign name but have sold all but one of them, investing well more than $250,000. The answer was no. They did say that property currently owned would be considered. The answer from the email: Regarding to your inquiries on the investment criteria on Wealthy Pensioner, please be informed that we will consider your current investment on the date of your application submission. The past property that is not your ownership at the present cannot be considered.

Your abortion statement is incorrect. The Supreme Court left it up to the individual states to decide how to handle abortion; Kansas voters recently voted to retain abortion rights. Abortion is still legal in the majority of the states; it is likely to become illegal in 16 states, which would mean a woman in one of those states would have to travel out of state to get an abortion.

In addition to Jomtien. Pratamnak, and Cosy Beach, you might also take a look at Wong Amat. There are number of choices for condos there, with some on or very near to the beach. Your budget would get you a 1 bedroom at a number of the condo projects there, some older, some newer. If you go to the Hipflat website, click on 'Condo Directory', then click on 'Pattaya', then select 'North Pattaya', you will get lots of condo project listings for the Wong Amat area. You can also use the website to search other areas of Pattaya you might be interested in. Wong Amat is a nice area, quiet, but a good location, in my opinion. Using back streets, it's an easy drive to get to Beach Road and Central Festival Mall or Dolphin Circle and Terminal 21, Central Marina, and Lotus's up the street. Bangkok Pattaya Hospital and Pattaya International Hospital are both not far away. Some nice seafood restaurants in the Naklua area. Good luck with your search.

My partner and I noticed this, too. Our only thought was that maybe there will be a final surfacing of the road that will bring the road surface up to the level of the drains but as it is now they seem to be a hazard to both cars and motorbikes.

I'm an American but I must say I was very sad to hear the news of her passing. I was not aware of it until this morning when I opened Yahoo. I felt truly disbelief at first; I had to read the headline several times, as if the news was not registering properly. It was a very strange, unsettling feeling. I am amazed at the life she led. What has struck me most is her sense of duty, through all those many years as Queen. She talked about it when she ascended to the throne and remained true to it all her life. I find it so remarkable that she was able, with just days left to live, by what must have been sheer will and her devotion to duty, to perform her final official act of ushering in the new Prime Minister, her 15th. I won't soon forget the photo of her standing in her drawing room, smile on her face, awaiting the new PM's arrival. Ever doing her duty.