Fore Man

Thanks, Dr Jack54. It’s possible we didn’t bring up this distinction with the IO. We lived in Chiang Mai for 16 years previously under annual extensions of stay based on retirement. I considered converting to an extension based on marriage during that period but then saw an elderly close friend and golf partner lose his Thai wife due to heart failure, and he had to leap through hoops to convert his extension from marriage to retirement-based. But if this is the only way to avoid the hassles of applying for the Non-O at an overseas Thai consulate then I suppose it’s worthwhile. Unlike my friend, my wife is also considerably younger and healthier which probably improves the odds that she will outlive me, making an extension based on marriage more attractive.

While visiting Thailand recently with my Thai wife, we visited Nan Immigration to obtain a 30-day extension to my original 30-day visa on arrival. That was no problem. My wife also has an excellent relationship with this particular office. But when she asked the IO if I could convert to a Non-O if I desired, the female officer on duty at this small office explained that this was not possible there and advised us that I’d need to apply for the Non-O back at a Thai consulate in the USA where we live. To do so requires a very costly trip to our nearest consulate which is In Washington, DC (we live 400:miles away in South Carolina). I was really hoping to avoid that scenario by converting to the Non-O in Thailand. We have the requisite bank account already set up and ready to make the required international transfer of THB 800K into it. This may or may not be legitimate but that’s what we were told. Any sage advice would be appreciated.

I don’t really agree with your politicizing an airline’s mask policy. They’re only trying to keep people safe and lower the likelihood of an infection. Of course I’m an old sod and these things matter more to me than if I was several decades younger. From what I’m reading, Omicron BA.5 is a whole different animal. My 46-year old son thought he was impervious after four vaccinations and two previous infections. He’s just now starting to feel better three weeks after catching BA.5 but still hasn’t had his senses of taste and smell restored. Totally shocked him because after his prior infections and shots, he assumed he was ‘golden’. As Willy famously sang….”not necessarily so.!”

My wife and I have tried to convince our younger nieces and nephews to stop using their phone while driving any vehicle. But you can’t tell a young Thai…so driven by peer pressure and FOMO…to stop such a dangerous practice until it hits at someone close to them. It’s exactly the same in the US with teens who text while driving. They’re being slaughtered on the highways. My biggest problem though is getting my Thai wife to ignore an incoming call, instantly dropping everything the second her phone rings, as if a major emergency will happen if she dares to ignore it. But that’s another worthy topic by itself.

At the time, yes, I thought I was right. Now that I understand the law it won’t happen again because no matter how many unthinking, witless motorcycle drivers I encounter in the future out there, you can be sure I will yield to each and every one. But in the back of my mind I have to ask…when will it dawn on these people that they can be needlessly hurt or killed even though they are legally right. When do Thai motorcycle drivers start to drive more responsibly and stop placing their lives in someone else’s hands? I rode cycles as a lad growing up in the US and it was drummed into me from the start to operate my bike as if everyone was out to kill me. We need more of this kind of thinking here.

I actually agree with you, in that according to Thai law I was wrong. But what I learned, stupendously, was that motorcyclists have special protection as long as they remain on the shoulder. They can act with a certain righteous impunity and be morally right, but tragically wrong if injured…or worse. It’s time for these people to grow up, for far tougher traffic laws to be enacted and for violators to be swiftly punished. Until then, this country will continue to rank high among those rated as the most dangerous places to drive.

Yes, we definitely followed up with a higher ranking officer back at the station…as well as my wife’s brother, a RTP lt. colonel who works in a different province. He readily agreed that it was my fault but opined that the law needed to be reconsidered as it was confusing and on occasion transferred culpability to the wrong party.

Absolutely true…my Thai wife is exactly the same…she refuses to continue any conversation that makes mention of taking preparations to avoid some undesired future outcome…such as installing a burglar alarm. To most Thais, such an idea frightens them as it forces them to consider the notion that something unfavorable might happen to them if they dwell on it too much. We have no motorbikes in our immediate family but the same concept applies: never discuss anything that might eventually happen….because it could very well come true. Good or bad.

I have to relate an experience I underwent a few years ago outside of Chiang Mai. I was driving my Fortuner along a country two-lane highway, directly into a blinding sunset. About 400 meters before making a left turn into our subdivision’s prominent side gate, I flipped on my turn signal. Immediately after doing so, I quickly passed by a motorcyclist carrying a passenger on his pillion seat, riding on the shoulder, seemingly oblivious to anyone else out there. A glance in my rear view mirror told me that I had enough time to make my turn before the biker caught up to me. But I was wrong and he smashed into my left front fascia before I’d completed my maneuver, completely failing to take notice of my advanced signaling. His bike was badly damaged plus his passenger suffered a broken leg. My first thought was, why didn’t he heed my turn signal and rear brake lights, as I’d given him ample time to prepare to either slow down or pass me on my right side? When the police investigated at the scene, they explained that it was I who violated the law…that all motorcyclists and bicyclists are entitled to an unimpeded right of way when riding on the shoulder…which is considered under Thai traffic law to be a special bike lane, even though it is unmarked as such. They went on to say that all other vehicular traffic must yield to any two-wheeled vehicles that could be jeopardized by such a turning maneuver. This was all news to me. I’d lived in Thailand and in that same Chiang Mai area for 15 years at that point and this came as a total shock…that we must yield to any motorcycles driving on the shoulder. In the end we settled out of court, paying him a pittance of the outrageous amount he tried to extort from us. And indeed I learned a hard lesson. I realized that this incident probably would not have occurred if we weren’t both driving into a glaring setting sun, but I still found it hard to swallow that the motorcyclist had no culpability in causing the mishap and resolutely kept driving along the shoulder when I’d already indicated my intention to turn and began braking well beforehand. Anybody with a shred of common sense would be expected to show some natural concern for self-preservation, but apparently this isn’t so in Thailand…where idiots can operate a motor vehicle without a shred of training, and likely with no accompanying license testing…nor with any common sense either.

Well, as Forrest said, sitting there on the bus-stop bench: ”Stupid is as stupid does”. A lamentable quotation, yes, but so very apropos here in the LOS. Being a total ignoramus insofar as driving safety is unfortunately an inbred Thai trait and will never get better until the entire nation makes it a major priority, and vigorously enforces pertinent laws.

Lived here since 2004 and came to the sad conclusion that Thais really don’t believe in preventive measures at all as a key, necessary aspect to ensuring public safety, extending lifespans and improving the quality of their lives. It’s not that they don’t value human life but they are hardwired to be fatalistic and when tragedy strikes from almost any root cause, they accept that it was predestined.

I’d like to clarify that in my own experience, the VA fully paid for my hearing aid care but with a big caveat. The hospital declined to direct-bill FMP. There seemed to be some concern by them that they would not be easily reimbursed by the VA…that apparently they’d had some previous difficulties in doing so…and insisted that I had to prepay the full bill, including related audiology and physician costs. I was required to pay all this up front. Once I understood that they refused to direct-bilI, I had two options: 1) I needed to pay up front and then the hospital would then send their bill to FMP for payment (and then once the hospital was reimbursed, my initial 100% advance prepayment of $6,000 would be returned to me) or 2) I could simply pay in advance for all services and then submit my bill directly to FMP, bypassing the hospital’s bureaucratic financial procedures.. I didn’t want to rely on this hospital to return my money under the first option, particularly in a timely manner, and found it simpler and less stressful to submit my bill directly to the VA. Yes, it was a bit of a hassle preparing and sending my claim paperwork to FMP, but everything went perfectly well and I was fully reimbursed within 60 days. All that I needed were the hospital receipts and treatment records which the VA then accepted without question. There were two local Chiang Mai hospitals at that time (2018) that would accept VA patients and I selected the one with which I felt most comfortable based on its audiology expertise and range of hearing aid offerings to select from. In the end, I received the latest state of the art hearing aids made in Switzerland that synced perfectly with my cell phone and could also be used with its proprietary optional Bluetooth transmitter connected to our smart TV. If you’d like to know the brand/model of hearing aids dispensed, please PM me..

I can confirm that sletraveler’s understanding is correct. I am am an American military retiree and VN vet with a 50% disability rating.that covers my hearing loss and lower back problems. While living in LOS I used Tricare For Life to pay for essentially 75% of all my medical costs, once I satisfied a small annual copay. Tricare expenses over $3,000 annually are then fully covered under its annual catastrophic cap provisions. But thanks to the VA’s Foreign Medical Program, they paid 100% of my hearing aid costs. I needed to pay up front to Chiang Mai Ram but FMP completely reimbursed me within 60 days and I was able to buy the exact Swiss-made model that I wanted costing over US$6,000. If you are not a retired US military servicemember then you cannot be reimbursed for Thai medical costs via Tricare provisions and must acquire appropriate medical insurance coverage or self fund for your care. Dental care is not included in any of the foregoing unless your VA disability includes such coverage. Hope this explanation helps.

Maybe. The real issue is not just finding him, but fixing him in place. We know through various media sources that he has multiple rings of fanatically-dedicated personal security details protecting him. These PSDs are carefully vetted and their loyalty unquestioned. I’ve no doubt that we (USA & its allies) certainly have amazing intelligence capabilities established and sometimes the issue isn’t taking out a FBG as much as making it appear to be a tragic accident and not an outright assassination. But let’s keep our fingers crossed. This thug posing as a sovereign ruler needs to be deposed, but there needs to be some assurance that his replacement isn’t seen as even more despotic. From what I’ve gleaned, the expected understudy just might be even worse.

Hope you are right in your assumption but there’s always concern when you push a bully into a corner. Putin just may come out fighting…and unfairly too. A weakened Russia is no match against a fully energized, reinvigorated NATO….but only for as long as any ensuing combat remains conventional. Once Putin feels compelled to respond with nuclear options, things quickly will turn ugly and not just for European-based populations. This man is not only a megalomaniac but very likely insane too.

Elaborate please…your intent seems a bit vague. Thanks.

Hear hear…I still like Steven100’s early post suggesting that a stealthy RTN SEAL practice his skill set on the hull of that monstrosity. A little limpet mine would do the deed quite nicely! Of course the vessel is heavily insured, probably by Lloyds no doubt. Still I’d get more than a mirthful chuckle if that boat found a new mooring on the seabed!

With a moniker that when Anglicized sounds very akin to ‘crocodile tooth’ (ฟันจระเข้) he must have that he was an invincible tough guy. Song nam na!

Does anyone know if the SuperRich branch at Paragon is still in operation? Cheers,

I just saw your post, LosLobo, and would like to add that in many cases, Urolift can provide immediate relief from BPH symptoms, but there are two primary contraindications: 1. A pronounced medial lobe 2. A prostate volume exceeding 100 ml

I did find one highly qualified and very experienced urologist in CM who specialized in TURPs and I believe he still does. As mentioned previously in this thread, I wound up getting a HoLEP done in the U.S., but this Thai practitioner operated on a close Thai friend of mine who sang high praises regards this same surgeon. He operates his own clinic plus he is on the staff at Bangkok Hospital - Chiang Mai. I believe that I am not allowed to disclose his name on the Forum (?) but you can PM me (via Line) and I’ll be happy to share.

Can you post the report data?

Good, thoughtful post, Saanim. When I lived in Chiang Mai for 16 years, I found truly excellent healthcare for an assortment of maladies. But the rub is that you truly get what you pay for. Top class medical and dental care comes at a higher cost but the services rendered are on par with any first class medical facility elsewhere around the globe.

After suffering for a decade with BPH, taking harnal/silodosin/finasteride for all those years, I started reading up on a newer technique which is quickly replacing the TURP as the BHP gold standard surgical procedure. I was in the States and signed up to undergo a TURP by my local urologist. Then after doing some serious reading about that procedure and warned off of it by several patients who for the vast part we’re not pleased with the aftermath of the operation and/or the long term results. I became very attracted to a much newer and far less invasive technique known as Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP), which uses special laser energy to enucleate (zap, essentially) prostatic tissue and then morcellate (grind) the removed tissue and backflush it out of the bladder through a unique surgical catheter. I underwent my HoLEP at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL on 30 April 2022, was discharged from the ward 13 hours later, drove home 400+ miles and with a few minor but temporary issues, was urinating like a teenager immediately. At no time did I experience any post-surgical pain. Unlike the aftermath of a TURP, there was very little post-op bleeding or bladder leakage and no sphincter damage. I felt completely healed 6 months post-surgery and have never regretted it. it’s unlikely that you will find a Thai surgeon qualified and experienced in performing HoLEP, but I do know that there are urologists elsewhere in the SEA and Australasia region who perform the procedure. I was also very pleasantly surprised to find that U.S. Medicare covered 100% of my bill. There are several other available procedures to treat BHP that vary in the method to reduce prostatic pressure on the urethra, ranging in cost, difficulty, length of time that the results remain effective and side effects. Not all prospective patients will be accepted for these procedures and each case must meet certain physiological requirements that pertain to the size, volume and shape of the candidate’s prostrate gland. Good luck!

I’ll add this: I lived in LOS for 16 years and was traveling here regularly as a businessman for 10 years previously. After all that time, we sold everything and and moved back to the US after I’d become disillusioned with Thailand. I’d come full circle during those 26 total years of firsthand experience, initially madly in love with the country, its people and its polar oppositeness to the West. Towards the end I became a Thai-basher and was champing at the bit to live back in a modern country with all its conveniences and access to quality goods. But to avoid insulting and alienating my wonderful (Thai) wife, I managed to keep my angst mostly bottled inside. Then after living in the USA for two+ years I clearly saw the realities dawning across the country…increasing mass shootings, worsening racial divisiveness, a hamstrung political system and rising anger across the populace and realized the country I’d grown of age within has morphed into something clearly worrisome and threatening. I began to sincerely miss my old life in Chiang Mai and it dawned on me that I’d been denigrating the wrong country all along! I’m now back in Thailand for an extended visit with my wife and I’m seeing things with a completely new set of eyes. Can’t wait to move back now and we have laid plans to do so. Naturally, my dear wife is thrilled. Despite the inconveniences and tribulations we foreigners experience and undergo here, this is truly one of the world’s best kept secrets. But it takes patience and an open mind to come to this realization. The moral of this story? Be very careful of what you wish for.…it just might come true.