egeefay

One of the CDRM's priorities is to organise a new National Counter Corruption Commission - to which the coup-makers yesterday appointed nine members - to go after the assets of unusually rich politicians in the Thaksin government.

I think a counter Corruption Commission that only looks only at the assets of the people who served under Thaksin is not going far enough.

Thailand has had a long and rich culture of corruption...from the Prime minister all the way down to the lowly government official.

Unless Thailand gets serious about prosecuting rampant corruption up and down the system, the Corruption Commission will be of little use.

A legitimate Corruption Commission would also look into the assets of ALL politicians and government servants.

We would like to rent a condo for a month in Hua Hin...from Dec. 4, 2006-Jan. 4, 2006

1-2 bedroom

By the ocean

Furnished

Under 40,000 baht.

Anyone know of a good place we can rent?

Looks like they just posted a page with no information other than contact numbers in order to troll for investors

I notice they use the word "will" and awful lot in their home page. Sounds like they don't have anything to show.

Never trust a company that uses a yahoo account for email

I don't think the government should be involved in trying to limit freedom of choice.

If customers prefer to shop at the big box stores, the mom and pops are going to have to offer an incentive to woo them back.

More convenient locations, better service, more convenient hours, more personalized service, hard to find products.

It's apparent that a lot of people don't think very highly of mom and pop stores: They don't post prices, carry outdated merchandise, are poorly lit , have crowded and narrow pathways and overcharge. Those are some of the criticism I am hearing.

Rather than cry foal, the mom and pop stores should ban together, organize themselves and improve their service.

You can't force people to shop at your stores. You have to attract them.

I was interested in finding out more about BUPA health insurance,

My health insurance will not cover me while visiting Thailand

And if I decide to move to Thailand I'd need some insurance whenever I visit the US or another country

I've seen BUPA mentioned throughout the forum. Several members are signed up with BUPA.

But didn't find anyone on the forum who had actually tried to file a claim with them

So I went out on the net to see what reviews i could find

Heres some reviews of BUPA

http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews51083.html

Not many opinions but not many good reviews.

Has anyone had any experience with a company they can recommend..or not recommend?

I looked at BUPA's international coverage and noticed that their best plan only covered :

Medical & other expenses 2,000,000

Personal Accident 1,000,000

Emergency Medical Assistance 1,000,000

If your parent had, say, a heart attack in the US, I don't think that coverage would be enough.

I'm wondering if anyone has actually had to use BUPA in the US and if they found it adequate

CITY LIFE MAGAZINE...A monthly online publication in Chiang Mai has been printing a series of article each month on different aspects of "retiring in Thailand", written by a former Peace Corps volunteer who is married to a Thai lady

I didn't see an installment for this month so I'm not sure if they are all done but you can check them out at

http://www.chiangmainews.com/

Meanwhile I retrieved the links from past articles on various aspects of retiring and living in Thailand

EXPENSES

http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=1387

RETIRING IN THAILAND

http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=1426

A PLACE TO STAY

http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=1455

BANKING

http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=1482

CONDOS

http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=1510

TRANSPORTATION

http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=1549

If you want to see the most CURRENT article (I'm told they have the same thing in print in Thailand)

1. Go to

http://www.chiangmainews.com/

2. Click on the image of the magazine cover

3. Scroll down to the most recent article entitled "A RETIRING ATTITUDE"

This months subject is DRIVING IN THAILAND: TRAFFIC

CITY LIFE MAGAZINE...A monthly online publication in Chiang Mai has been printing a series of article each month on different aspects of "retiring in Thailand", written by a former Peace Corps volunteer who is married to a Thai lady

I didn't see an installment for this month so I'm not sure if they are all done but you can check them out at

http://www.chiangmainews.com/

Meanwhile I retrieved the links from past articles on various aspects of retiring and living in Thailand

EXPENSES

http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=1387

RETIRING IN THAILAND

http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=1426

A PLACE TO STAY

http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=1455

BANKING

http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=1482

CONDOS

http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=1510

TRANSPORTATION

http://www.chiangmainews.com/ecmn/viewfa.php?id=1549

Is there a website anywhere that contains a complete list of investment destinations. If so, could you post the URL here.

http://www.doingbusiness.org/EconomyRankin...=asc&sort=1

Thailand 18th best world investment destination

Click here for list of all countries ranked

http://www.doingbusiness.org/EconomyRankin...=asc&sort=1

My Thai wife moved to the US over 28 years ago and has been living here ever since.

But we've made frequent trips to Thailand and even more frequent now that we are reaching retirement age.

I would say that ten years ago neither of us would have considered moving to Thailand to live.

There were too many things we would have had to sacrifice in order to adjust to Thailand: the lack of western conveniences, shopping, medical care.

But things have changed a lot in the last few years. Thailand has all the conveniences of the west, including the shopping and medical care that is on par with the west....and most for a lot cheaper than the west.

On our last few trips to Thailand we saw a lot of improvements to the economy and lifestyle. It got us thinking about the possibility of moving to Thailand permanently. There are colonies of Scandanavians and Britians who have already made the move and seem to be enjoying it. We think we could live a more comfortable retirement in Thailand than in the US.

Of course visiting on Vacation and living there are not the same. But we are willing to entertain the idea and actually bought some property in Thailand in anticipation of a future move.

For retirees, Thailand does make a lot of sense. Even if the adjustment is hard you can always rationalize that the cost of living makes it worthwhile. It's hard to retire in the west and live as well as in Thailand on a fixed income.

But if you are young and are still working, the adjustment to Thailand may overshadow the benefits. I'm sure the work culture in Thailand and the work culture in the west are light years apart and there will be BIG adjustments.

Unfortunately there's no way to predict how well your wife will like living and working in Thailand. You don't have the luxury of trying the job out for a few months and seeing how things go.

But it might be a good idea to work on a plan B in case you find the work situation intolerable and decide you can't live in Thailand after all.

Here's another good site

http://www.propertythailand.eu/BasicResult.php

It turns out that she has signed the form in the wrong place... I mean way off from where it should have been signed.

When my tax preparer does my taxes he puts a big sticker right where I am suppose to sign. Seems like he gets lots of people signing in the wrong place all the time...and we all read and write English.

Imagine how much harder it would be for a person from the LOS.

President Bush can only dream that he would be as deep in debt as Thailand.

Or maybe your the members who are still in Farangland........

Yep. that's me. While you guys in Thailand are fast asleep...We are just in the middle of our day...like now.

I can hear you snooring!!!

I have stayed at the Riverfront several times.

They will rent to you by the week or month.

We actually rented 3 days at a time, coming and going between trips to Laos and Hua Hin.

They'll let you keep your bags stored there while you are between stays.

We rented their two bedroom apartment from them...very nice and clean.

Rooms have safes.

Kitchens too but we didn't cook much

Comes with a nice buffet breakfast Thai/Western food. You can sit out on the veranda and watch the ships pass by on the Chao Phraya River as you eat.

The pictures on their website are accurate.

We are planning another trip to Bangkok in November and plan to stay a couple of weeks on and off there again.

It's a little far from the SkyTrain but they have shuttle buses that take you there several times a day...pick up too.

Nice pool and weight room.

Not near any shopping so you have to take taxi if you want any nightlife.

There's a nice seafood restaurant called BUA by the river on the ground floor and some small Korean type shops too but not much.

28 years ago my Thai wife , (well educated and from a middle class background) came to the US for the first time.

We lived in a small community in California. No Thais. A few Asians. My wife was forced to learn English quickly and adapt to the American food and culture. It was a real adjustment at first because she hardly had anyone she could communicate with. She spent a lot of time watching soap operas on TV and began to pick up the English language quickly. It helped a lot when our daughter was born because being a full time mother gave her something to keep her busy all the time and she didn't feel so lonely.

Today my wife is an American citizen and more comfortable in the United States than in Thailand. Most of her friends are American...or Asian American. Our daughter is a typical American kid who speaks no Thai. We don't live near any Thais but we have Thai friends who live 3 hours away. My wife has become very accustomed to the way of life in the United States and whenever we visit Thailand she has to make lots of adjustments

Contrast that to my wife's sister who came to the United States about 4 years ago. Her sister moved into a Thai community in LA, eats only Thai food, speaks Thai all day, watches Thai TV at night, goes to the Thai Wat on holidays, hangs around Thais and has no American friends. Nice thing is ...she didn't have to make many adjustments. It's almost like she is still living in Thailand.

Which is better? Depends. If your Thai wife is easy going , makes friends easily and can adapt to other ways of living, I'd take her somewhere that doesn't have a big Thai community. The first couple of years will be tough with all the adjustments. But as time goes on I think she'll fit right in and start to feel she has a new home.

On the other hand, if she's only comfortable around people of like mind, doesn't enjoy challenges, has a hard time with languages, western food, she might do better somewhere where there are more Thais that she can befriend. It makes the transition smoother...but a lot slower.

Thanks for the replies. Is it doable? Do the numbers add up? Yes!

Might be doable if you are needing nursing care within the next year or so.

But It sounds like you are years away from needing that kind of help.

In which case, all bets are off.

Who knows what nursing care will cost by then...or what the value of the US dollar will mean to your retirement income.

Better to ask your question when you are closer to needing that kind of service

I'll have to take back everything I said about Web Call Direct. After using it for about two months

True, it's cheap. So if you just need to save money, that's the way to go.

Problem is the quality of the call is poor. Bad reception sometimes, lots of static, plus the one second delay really makes it almost impossible to have a normal phone conversation.

So, Web Call Direct...not ready for prime time

I posed the same question to someone who works at a Bangkok hospital that caters to foreigners as well as Thais

What do different staff members earn each month??

His response:

1. A registered nurse starts around 15,000-20,000 then goes up

2. A licensed vocational nurse 10,000-15,000

3. A certified nurse's assistant...or nurses aide 9,000-15,000

4. A hospital pharmacist 30,000 up

5. A physical therapist 20,000 up

Work week is 6 days a week and about 9-12hours a day

I asked the same question a while ago and HENG, who uses a nurse to help with his grandmother at home posted this reply

"registered nurses. You can get them through just about any hospital because outside work pays better. Ours are from Phra Mongkut Hospital (the government and army hospital). She doesn't require live in help, so no we don't have any living with us. Although we have had some over for when she was ill, just for simple colds and pneumonia (once, which is about as sick as she's ever gotten). Also on the few occasions that we've had surgeries in the family, we've also had help over. Orderies (generally there to monitor, bathe, and take care of basic needs like helping the patient go to the restroom) are 500 Baht per shift, nurses (doing... well, what nurses do; generally we keep these just a few days extra after hospital release for precautionary measures) are 1200 per shift. One shift is 6 hours. Quite reasonable. Your results may vary.

A little assistance, I'm currently working overseas (from the states). Turns out I have a bone spur on the heel of my foot and my company is now saying I must go home and have it removed. From what I"ve been told there is a six week recovery time, I've told my company that I no longer have a home in the states and that I will be going to my current home in Bangkok for the surgery (current home really deep deep in the fields of Isarn). I need to know where I can go for this surgery and stay for a few weeks of recovery in Bagkok, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Oh no insurance that will cover this for Thailand so I will be dealing in cash only transactions (unless they accept Tri-care)

Thanks,

Iono

Here's a list of several good hospitals

http://thailandforvisitors.com/general/medical.html

See what I mean,just awful!

I think you meant

Do you see what I mean? It's just awful!

And what happens to the house if we did actually break up? I know the land will be in her name but IF i own the house where does that leave me legally? Can she knock it down as its on her land?

1. You are 27 and you aren't ready to retire to Thailand to live

3. You have not known your Thai GF for very many years.

4. You have very limited funds and almost all your assets will be tied up in the house.

How about

1. Rent a place for you and your girlfriend to live. If you end up hating each other in a year or two...nothing lost.

2. Save up more money. Sounds like you are going to be funding the construction as you go along so I am assuming you don't have a lot of money in the Bank. Work hard, save up all you can and when you have enough to pay cash for everything plus have a lot left over for your monthly living expenses..then you can think about building.

Govt steps in to solve beachside food battle

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN, Feb 18 (TNA) - In many parts of Thailand, a plate of somtam, or papaya salad, would set you back Bt15. But in the country's southern seaside resort of Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, vendors are charging 10 times that amount for the same dish, prompting that the Department of Internal Trade to step in to investigate.

Nothing wrong with charging a lot more for a plate of somtam in a nice air conditioned hotel restaurant as opposed to a street vendor and as long as the prices are the same for Thais and farangs alike.

I'd take issue with charging farangs more than Thais just because of the color of their skin or because you ASSUME that they are a lot richer and can afford it.

In the West prices vary from restaurant to restaurant for the same dish and people are use to paying different rates. What upsets many farangs in Thailand is that they often get gouged by vendors who charged much higher prices to them than to the locals. They justify it by saying that farangs can afford to pay more. But generally they sell at the same price to Thais irrigardless of what type of car they are driving.