khunjeff

8 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

Maybe, but the LTR/WP differs from other visas such as Thailand Elite in that tax exemption is advertised as one of its main benefits.

It's not just advertised as a benefit, it was also legally implemented - Royal Decree no. 743, gazetted on 23 May 2022 ("Decree Issued in Accordance with the Revenue Code Concerning the Reduction of Tax Rates and Exemptions (No. 257") made the exemption official.

"Exceeding the target" is quite different from a "surplus" - they will still need to borrow money to cover the government budget.

12 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Yes, generally they use govt rate, you pay direct which is around 4 baht a unit, apartments usually charge 8 baht but I've seen 10

Apartment buildings, and other landlords with at least five units, have been required to charge no more than the government rate (plus a maximum 25% service fee) for several years now. While some of them may still be trying to gouge tenants, it's hard for them to stay under the radar if people start complaining.

12 hours ago, statman78 said:

As the article states, the new gates will allow for a 33% increase in capacity.  They will need to add more people at check-in, security, baggage handling and immigration.   Hopefully it will be a manageable rate of increase in the number of passengers.

The "33% increase" line isn't at all believable. The new satellite should make the existing concourses less crowded and reduce the need to use bus gates, but at this point will just be spreading out existing flights. There won't be a real possiblity for a meaningful increase in flight capacity until the new runway opens (years late, but now expected for mid-2024).

39 minutes ago, Deserted said:

okay thanks. Let's hope they staff it sufficiently, which is not always the case at swampy.

It's just extra gates (not check-in or security or immigration or baggage claim), so staffing shouldn't be an issue.

1 hour ago, wpcoe said:

(Quoted from article linked in OP.)  That will be a nice improvement.  Glad to see the word "eliminate" instead of "reduce."

I hope that's true, but I think it's optimistic. Airlines don't only use remote stands because no contact gate is available - some use it because it's cheaper, others for enhanced security of the aircraft, and still others because the incoming flight is domestic, and the next one international (or vice versa).

In the last situation, they prefer to just bus pax back and forth rather than having to move the plane between gates (since BKK, unlike some other airports, has no capability to change a gate from domestic to international by moving barriers and doors).

1 hour ago, Deserted said:

Exactly where is it?

Parallel to the D concourse.

18 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Yes I think Bangkok would of been a better choice ,then again the traffic would be a nightmare !

 

Chiang Mai would of been better too but Pattaya? .

They already tried Bangkok several years ago with the same issues of a very high price and difficulty getting around due to traffic. According to what I see online, some form of the service is (miraculously) still operating.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/2020/01/20/review-for-sweat-free-bangkok-sightseeing-consider-hop-on-hop-off-buses/

https://www.traveldailymedia.com/elephant-bus-tours-partners-with-city-sightseeing-to-elevate-the-bus-tour-experience-with-open-top-double-deckers-for-the-first-time-in-bangkok/

1 minute ago, scorecard said:

The story says 'Colonel' Sura.....

 

He's been refered to as 'General' Sura.... many times before. 

This happens all the time in translations of news stories about him - they mix up "phon aek" (four-star General) with "phan aek" (Colonel).

2 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

Another step towards the demise of the USD as the world's Reserve Currency.

 

We've heard similar announcements from the same group of countries every couple of years for decades, and so far virtually nothing has happened - so I don't think Uncle Sam has much to worry about for the moment 

Don't lose sleep over this.

First, unless you're fabulously wealthy, the odds of anyone challenging your will are pretty remote.

Second, it would be abundantly clear in any legal proceeding that Miss V (single) and Mrs V (nee Miss V) are the same person. 

11 hours ago, dayo202 said:

What did your above eye examination cost please ?

I was having a bunch of specialized tests done as follow up for a previous retina problem, so I'm not sure what the cost was of the basic exams - like refraction - that were part of the whole program that day. I seem to recall from friends that a garden variety eye check up, including a new prescription, was about 1500 baht or so.

4 hours ago, dddave said:

Take note.  At Rutnin and at most hospitals an "Eye Examination" is very different from a "Vision test".

Often, an eye exam does not include a vision test unless you specifically request it and even then, they may tell you you have to schedule a separate vision test.

The Eye Examination at Rutnin focuses on eye disease detection and eye deterioration.  It is a very complete examination.  If you request a vision test, make sure to make it known you want a prescription for glasses and that you want the PD included if you plan on getting progressive lenses.

I've been going to Rutnin for almost 30 years. As long as you tell them you want to update your eyeglass prescription, they'll give you the appropriate exam - I believe it's listed as "refraction" on the ticket. (Rutnin has a kind of "stations of the cross" process where you go from room to room where individual specialists do each test.)

I had an appointment with my retinal doctor at Rutnin a couple of months ago, and asked to add the refraction exam. The guy was very thorough as usual, and the PD was included on the prescription. Note that they don't hand you the prescription; after everything is done and you've paid the bill, you have to go to the optical shop on the ground floor and have them print it out for you. Strange, but not difficult.

After getting the new prescription (only a slight difference from the previous one), I ordered from Zenni for the first time. With every bell and whistle added, they came to about $250, which is still less than I used to pay in Thailand for poorer quality lenses. (The Zenni glasses aren't as good as the ones I got in Korea ten years ago, but those cost over $800...) 

Shipping took two weeks. At the end of week one, I got an email telling me the glasses had arrived in Singapore (!). A week later, they arrived in Thailand and were delivered the next day in a mailer showing a return address of Malmo, Sweden (!). No duty or tax was charged.

On 8/19/2023 at 12:06 PM, retarius said:

You missed off the +2.0 for the right eye, last column.

Zenni's instructions say that they only ask for one addition, as it's almost always the same for both eyes (it was for me). I guess if someone has different additions for each eye, they would have to contact the company to ask what to do.