newnative

Very poorly-written article. Slams Thailand's 'ever-changing immigration rules' (nothing's changed for me in 11 years except the insurance requirement) but not a word about what Vietnam's visa requirements are.

Likely an unpopular, minority opinion, but I believe there should be a statute of limitations--both legally and with public opinion--on some dumb male and female behavior with regard to sex. Obviously, with rape, no. But, with some other behaviors that were once considered ok but have now, years later, become suspect, yes. How about the now popular 'inappropriate groping or touching'? That seems to be an accusation that women, and some men, find useful to recall--and often from years and years ago. And, if one was inappropriately groped or touched, that can also be deemed sexual harassment. Bring on the lawsuits. But, hey, just the other evening I was watching an old episode of Friends and Joey did just that. It was the episode where Chandler and Phoebe were pretending to seduce each other. In one scene, Joey not only gropes Phoebe without her permission but then proceeds to rip open her sweater, exposing her bra, in front of her friends. Big laughs and applause from the 1990s studio audience. Phoebe looked delighted. 1990s me would have laughed, too. 2022 me went whoa! My point on the statute of limitations is that nobody found anything wrong with that behavior then. It was so ok it was broadcast on a mainstream tv network, which had to maintain 'community standards' to retain the license to broadcast. Inappropriate groping--not to mention ripping open a woman's clothing--got big laughs and applause in the 1990s. Today, it's viewed altogether differently. What is deemed as 'appropriate' has changed. But, what isn't appropriate, in my opinion, is going back 15 or 20 years or more, through faded and perhaps inaccurate memories, and coming up with accusations that, in some instances, reflect more a case of dumb, and now inappropriate, behavior.

I am one of 6 children. My Dad always said that if he hadn't fathered 6 kids he could have bought a new Cadillac every few years (Strange, though, that in his retirement years, when he could have easily afforded a Cadillac, he never bought one.) He always hastened to say that he'd rather have us kids than drive a Cadillac. He also said that we kept him and Mom young--and I think he was right. The last child was born when Mom was 40 so they were still raising a kid into their 50s. Dad traveled a lot with his job with the US Dept. of Defense and several times was away for more than 9 months on extended assignments. Mom used to joke that some of the neighbors thought she was a widow. The job of raising 6 kids fell mostly to her--as well as doing most of the work involved with our dozens of moves. Looking back, I don't see how she did it--and on a very tight budget. During my younger years there wasn't gay marriage and I think adoptions by gays were difficult. Even had it been easier, I don't think I would have adopted a child then due to not having a steady partner at that time and tight finances. Now that I am older it's a bit of a regret not having the experience of raising a child but I believe things turned out the way they were suppose to, and for the best.

I'm not sure today would be the 'peak' of the songkran holiday. Some of the visitors that were here have left. I actually live in north Pattaya--I can see the traffic on Beach Road--or the lack of it; I can see the people on the beach--or the lack of them; I can see when there are lots of lights on in the hotel rooms of many of the hotels--or few lights on, as has so often been the case these past two years with covid. By the way, that's not my headline saying some resorts are selling out for the songkran break. That's someone else 'talking numbers'. But, if some resorts are selling out for songkran it's likely other hotels, big and small, have done ok, too.

It seemed to be quite busy this weekend. Don't know about Ozo or Dusit but Holiday Inn, Mytt, A-01, Grande Centre Point, Cape Dara, Mercure, and many of the smaller boutique hotels looked to be doing a good business with the holidays. I can see that construction project from my condo and it seems to be taking forever--whatever it is they are doing.

Yes, of course, the owners jointly own the common spaces--didn't think I had to state the obvious. My point was an individual owner doesn't independently own portions of the common space--such as the hallway outside his door. If it's common space, it's not private space for an owner to take over for his own use.

This is what I was talking about when I said one person's idea of what is tasteful is likely to clash with someone else's. Some people love artificial plants, others don't. Some would welcome them in a hallway, others would not. In any case, it's usually not a good idea to allow individual owners to independently decide for themselves what should be ok in the public spaces. You think artificial plants add color, depth and warmth to a hallway and should be ok. Another resident might decide that parking his family's bicycles in the hallway will add sportiness to the space. A third might think it's ok to dump his sandy beach chairs and beach umbrella there--give the hallway a nice beach vibe. Better to not allow individual residents to commandeer public spaces that they don't own. The hallways remain as the uncluttered walkways they should be--especially for safe passage in an emergency.

I want to live in that condo project. It all sounds wonderful--rules being enforced. Don't bring in pets when they aren't allowed. Don't drink booze at the pool when it's not allowed. Don't throw stuff out of 20th floor windows, etc., etc. Obey the rules and seems like you'll be ok. And, hey, they're protective of your packages!

If an owner is leaving shoes out--and decorating the public hallway with his plants--then he is in the wrong place if both are against the condo rules. As another poster said, if you want to do that check the condo rules first before buying or renting. I feel it's important to have strict rules and enforce them. One pair of shoes in the hallway can lead to a half dozen or more scattered around. One person's idea of what is tasteful is likely to clash with someone else's. An attractive plant in a nice pot in the hallway might sound ok. But, what happens when the plant pot leaks and stains the floor? Or, the resident decides that since one plant is ok, why not have 5 or 6? And, let's add a plant trellis while we're at it. Better to say no and enforce it--the resident can practice his green thumb in his private unit, not the public areas.

My bank account with 800,000 for immigration is a different bank account with a different bank. The accounts that allow us to access each other's account are with Krungsri. If you have not set them up this way, I think you are right in that you will require court authority. Ours were set up this way from the beginning. With each account the bank has both of our information and samples of our signatures on file.

Your message is a bit garbled regarding executors but if you are referring to the US with '...in the states...' you are incorrect. This also applies to Thailand. An executor can certainly be a beneficiary and inherit. Many couples name their spouses as both executor and beneficiary in their wills--each will be the executor should the other die first. Also, it's not quite correct to state that it is illegal to withdraw money from an account that does not have his or her name on it. My partner and I both have separate bank accounts in each of our names that allow the other person access to the accounts should one of us die or be unable to access the account for other reasons. You can set up a bank account this way.

The Pattaya Beach hotels seem to be doing very well and it was nice to see lots of people on the beach yesterday late afternoon and into the evening.

No, it doesn't. Show me in the article where it says AOT expects 1 million foreign arrivals for Songkran. The headline says this but not the article--which is why I said the headline is very misleading.

I feel very fortunate that I have a traditional monthly pension and social security. Month after month they arrive--with yearly COLAS to help keep up with inflation. I remember years ago my Dad showing me his government retirement pension. He noted that his contributions to his retirement had been depleted after just a few years and his pension was being funded entirely by the government. And, thank goodness--he lived to nearly 95 and was actually retired for more years than he worked. If I was funding my retirement with just my savings, I know I would not have put enough aside, no matter how hard I might have tried. Which brings me to several of my Thai relatives. They are mandated to retire at 60 years old and they get a lump sum payment at retirement from their companies--which I suppose has to last them the rest of their lives. I don't know if they also qualify for any sort of government pension. I would absolutely hate that--trying to guess how long I will live and how much of the lump sum I can spend. And, what I should be doing with it to try to make it last longer. As others have said, I think it's unrealistic to expect 3.1MB to last 30 years.

Yes, a very misleading headline. We have no idea how many foreign tourists are 'expected' as the 1 million figure is not broken down by foreign and domestic totals. Since an earlier prediction had less than 400,000 foreign visitors for the entire second quarter, it's probably safe to say a large majority of the 1 million are Thai travelers.

On the bright side, for those of us living here getting US social security, it should result in another nice bump in the COLA.

Doesn't take much to please this guy. If I recall, he was happy with how things were going with pollution, traffic safety, corruption, education, the economy, covid. . . Well, you name it, he's happy with his efforts.

Well, that's what happened and is still happening in that area. T21 replaced the biggest 'blight' in that location--which spurred lots more redevelopment that continues to this day. The large tract across from T21 has been fenced off and will likely be redeveloped at some point--the land has now become far too valuable for low rise properties. People getting 'tired of one area' is rather a broad generalization. I can think of lots of tourist places that have maintained their attraction. Certainly going to the beach is timeless and many beach towns remain popular to generation after generation. The north Pattaya beach area in question is geared to handling large numbers of tourists in the numerous--and growing--numbers of large and small hotels. Many of the international tourists will visit only once so it will be difficult for them to get 'tired' of the area--it will always be new for them.

Nope--still generating positive synergy. 2 + 2 = 5. Each new build in that area--like the new Grande Centre Point Space--just makes that part of town even more attractive. It's definitely where lots of Thai visitors to Pattaya want to be--they are the ones who have kept the large hotels in that area open during covid. When international tourists start coming again, many will want to be in that area, as well.

Yes--and certainly not good that the second quarter numbers are expected to drop from the first quarter numbers. Shouldn't they at least be increasing if they hope to hit 8 million?

Allow me to present an alternative view, if I may. My partner and I just sold another property in Thailand--with the great help of a real estate agent and agency. We've sold properties in Rayong, Pattaya, and Bangkok. With a few exceptions, they were all sold with the help of a realtor. There's no doubt in my mind that we would still be trying to sell some of these properties without an agent and an agency's help. With our most recent Pattaya sale, most of the agencies we contacted sent someone out to take photos and see the property in person and take notes--even though we had sent photos and information of our own to the agencies. Some of them also did videos for their websites. Usually there was at least an hour or more of their time spent on this--plus the drive to and from the property. With several of the agents we discussed pricing and we came to a consensus--it's important to set a realistic price. Then, back to the office they went to process everything and get the listing up on their websites. That's a lot of work--especially knowing that another agency might make the sale and all the work could be for naught. And, let's not even talk about driving customers around from property to property and they end up not buying anything--or buying something from another agent listed by another agency. I've said many times I'm way too lazy and way too impatient to ever be an agent. If you are selling, I suggest you send good photos with a description and property information to as many agencies as you can. Thailand does not have a multiple-listing service so agencies need to be contacted individually. For Pattaya, I would start, but not be limited, to these: Coastal, PBRE, East Coast, Gecko, Primis, Alan Bolton, FazWaz, Prestige, Keegan, Cornerstone, Pattaya Condos & Homes, Five Star, Paragon, All Seasons, Town & Country, Pattaya Realty, and Righmove, among others. Make sure you hit all the agencies closest to your property. Once your property is listed, your job is to always have it ready to show to its very best advantage--and, with a half hour's notice, or less. This means beds always made, dishes always washed and put away, bathrooms always clean and tidy, anything broken fixed, and all clutter and personal items out of sight.

Here's an 'alternative'--cancel the contract.

If you read the article it says: “In reality, there will be no change to who can enter Japan,” said a Justice Ministry official when asked to clarify the statement. “There won’t be anyone new who will be able to enter Japan as a result of this change.” So, another very misleading headline. The only change seems to be that Japan is allowing 3,000 more arrivals each day of select groups of people, which does not include tourists.

It's a start.

Been here 11 years and I can say I've not had a bad experience in any hospital here. Unlike the OP's experience, the doctors I have seen have all given me plenty of time during an appointment. Medical care here, for me, is lightyear's better than in the US. I still marvel how it is so easy to get an appointment with little or no waiting--just getting an appointment was often a struggle in the US. Recently in the late evening I broke a tooth with a filling while flossing. Called the hospital at 8am the next morning and they could see me at 10:30. Did the exam, we decided a crown was the best choice, temporary crown was done, and out in about an hour. Went back about 5 days later for the permanent crown, which is working well and has a 1 year warranty. Whether I've had medical tests, medical procedures, lasik eye surgery, treatments, dental work, or whatever, I've been happy with the results and the cost.