Presnock

get a rabies shot!!!!!!

take the hint from one of the above - buy n95 material and put it on fans - WEAR an N95 mask as it will filter out the 2.5 micron air pollutant.

LTR visa also advertizes as a benefit, "fast track service at international airports of Thailand". The Thai board of investment is the sponsor. I just changed from retiement to the LTR, and plan on using the non-existent fast track service if I go through a Thai international airport.

probably will do shortly as the govt has passed the same sex marriage law!

for quab32 - see my above comment on your visits here

are you aware of the 2024 new income tax rules? will your total number of days within Thailand exceed 180 days making you a tax resident? Only asking to be sure that you are aware of these new rules.

Yeah I suffered through it for tens of years. The during assignment in PI, did a lot of scuba diving - salt water and sunshine wiped out just about all of my psoraisis except for that on the scalp. The I began using coal tar shampoos - eventually all on the scalp disappeared too until just recently after a COVID bout. I eventually found a some coal tar shampoos on shopee and began using it a couple of times a week. Much relief for sure.

Also for scalp, shopee/et all sell coal tar based shampoo - rids the scalp totally of the disease. Unfortunately if you had COVID, that is a disease that is affected by the bodiy's autoimmune system and COVID seems to have unleashed that plus hives and other autoimmune diseases. Salt water and sunshine seem to help wipe some fo it away too. Google "healthline" and psoraisis and it can possibly provide answers too.

Yeah, added to all the other comments about locals and criminal acty, on the Swiss kicker stories, recall the news items about the beach areas taken over by the rich folks renting - according to the news items on this forum, a Thai land development company took over all those beaches to help rent out the villas for big bucks - the Swiss guy said that the stairs upon which the dr was sitting was on his property and then we learned that some of the beaches were blocked by the housing developments owned by the Thai locals. Now it seems the lower ranking citizens there want their beaches back as they are supposedly public lands according to the news.

Well recent media programs here in Bangkok have reported that the Thai govt is coordinating with Japan to non-criminalize 150K illegal Thai workers there while in S. Korea they are coordinating with the govt there to de-criminalize the 170K Thai workers in Korea. Not sure how many other countries have the same problem. I see no problem with the local govt checking businesses, for illegal workers no matter what nationality and for punishing criminal activity otherwise. I try to avoid doing anything even remotely seeming to be illegal. On this forum, they have reported this past week that since Oct of last year they have cancelled the visas of 68 foreigners - that seems to be a very small number to me. Maybe as the 180-day stay and possible tax problems, that number may increase but I sure won't be included in that category.

AMEN to that!

well, that may be 100% true about the PI but reading their forum, I see almost the same comments - some people happy, many not so happy. The PI was my 2nd choice for retirement as I spent 6 years there but the natural disasters on a regular basis there made my choice of Thailand easy. The immigration situation in Thailand seems to be a strongly felt major complaint area - I have been here for over 20 years and it has gotten better and easier than it used to be. To better enjoy life, look for the good rather than the bad and once the bad wins out all the time, it is easy to see that it is time for a change of location maybe. Take care stay safe.

I found the same results as you last year when I was due for a renewal in May. The only date (90 days before in checking) was the day before my due date! I have always done my renewal 30 days in advance just in case something new was added and I needed that extra time to fix things. But, in both of the last two years I just walked in, got my queue ticket, waited inside and never spent more than 90 minutes at immigration so since we used to have to wait hours in various queues, I see no real problem in not having an appointment - last year I was only in immigration for 45 minutes.

Mike I have to just applaud your response! If ex-pats here (seems just like the ex-pat complaints in the PI) came here for the good life or better life and obey the laws/regulations, there shouldn't be any real complaints. I remember how it used to be at immigration for any reports - some people even got in a queue line to get a queue number possibly for that day only - they were in line at midnight! I used to get in line by 4 AM and yes I normally was able to get a queue number for that day but mostly in the PM times. Things have definitely improved while changing. They dropped the TM.28 (according to the IO that processed my last one years ago), starte ENFORCING the TM.30, yeah I understand, they put the onus on the ex-pat and not the landlords but most hotels or rented houselords do a tm.30 for us and there are even agents that can do it for us so not so much problems today. I just got my LTR and won't have to do the 90-day reports anymore. taxes - I am an American and cannot escape the federal taxes. If I remained in the US then I would have to add another 10K USD on taxes so I have always paid my taxes and fortunately my pension is a govt pension so Thailand won't be able to tax that either...but even if my pension wasn't a govt pension with the LTR I could still not have to pay taxes here. Many local problems are only in people's minds - life here is still way more pleasant than in the US in my opinion. I also lived in many countries over he years - in Europe - great but not as great as here, Africa - definitely not as great as here, Asia - some really great but in total - still better here. Things are changing in these Asian states too for the taxes.

Not always. I watched what videos there were taken by cell phones during the assault - the attackers looked like they were big guys, total unlike those pictured as captured shooters. If cornered, yeah, they would rather blow themselves up before being captured. This immediate capture and looking at those captured, surely looks like a staged event for Putin to try to garner some more public support for the Ukraine war which has wiped out a generation of young Russians. My opinion only of course but I am not a fan of Putin nor of ISIS nor of any of the militant Muslims.

I get daily healthline reports...on hair loss by menopausal or older women, they recommend a diet of certain foods or supplements that could help with whatever is going on in the body that could be causing the hair loss Suggest one google "hair loss among older women" and suggested supplements/diet foods. Good luck!

Daughter went to Seoul for a concert, snowy and cold and came back with what sounds exactly like many seem to be experiencing. She already had a doctor's appointment and while there they tested her ad said it was not a virus but then wife caught it from her and they both have now had it for almost two weeks. Getting somewhat better but still there. I avoid both of them as much as possible. Good health to all! in spite of the bd air quality...this AM in Bkk our neighborhood was 125 so 4 times the healthy limit!

Sure sounds like the gangster executions I have seen in the movies over many decades.

Guess this is still the cause of the 120+ reading on my 2.5 micron meter this Friday morning! Smoke is visable. Even within the house, have to have the air purifiers all running. Guess BKK will be up on the charts with CM area.

I do believe that the Thai RD should be following conversations on the local media and in response to the same kind of question on a daily basis, should be putting out some kind of guidance. Otherwise, next March should be a total fiasco within the RD trying to figure it all out. Luckily some folks will study available documentation about taxes in Thailand, and will be able to understand that not all folks will be affected by these new regulations. "google" search is readily available and carries numerous documents regarding all the issues. I myself have now satisfied myself about any issue that might affect me or not so can relax knowing that life can still be great here. Next week I will receive my LTR visa. The BOI folks are truly helpful and patient with those applying for that visa. Although the pollution problem in BKK is almost as bad as CM, I still notice very few people wearing masks even when exercising outside. Another reason to use google search - masks do help! Take care and good searching for all.

When I read your question I decided to visit google search and checked N95 masks and air pollution. Scientists and experts that responded to this question said YES! a good quality n95 surgical mask will help block out even the 2.5 micron pollutants. Cloth masks and the cheaper other masks can reportedly only block about 30% max of those smaller particles. Need to have a close-fitting as when you inhale if the mask is not tight against the face, the smaller particles may enter. One can google the same as I did but must trust whoever the experts are. I know for sure that I have worn a mask for many years, even before COVID as doctors visiting me in capital cities around the had warned me about pollution many years ago. To date my lungs and other organs do not appear to have been affected by being in heavily polluted cities and being a regular outdoor jogger. Now though just a walker! but I still wear my mask every day as here in Thailand where I live, it is polluted more often than not. Accuweather combined with your location may also provide you with the pollution level. 2.5micron meters on Lazada and Shopee are fairly cheap. I use mine regularly and have done so for many years. Good luck. Stay healthy! Eat a healthy diet to counter some of the pollutants too.

For air pollution levels one can check "accuweather (your local district/subdistrict)" and the site will advise at least 2.5 micron reading. I have found this accuweather report valuable as I exercise outside and have used it for quite sometime both in CM and in districts of Bangkok.

seemed to be okay - that is the problem! I checked early AM and then after the rain. Early AM was around 50 while after the rains over a 100!

Yeah, yesterday morning before the rain, at 4 AM I checked the 2.5 micron levels and mine meter showed 50-52 . Then we had a brief shower. that was followed by a pattern of more sustained rain and brief periods of all clear. I checked the levels again and it was 105! so much for the rain clearing up the pollution. Today it is back in the mid 50's range which it has been almost every day for months. Yet, daily locals/foreigners in this village continue running or walking for exercise with no masks. Their health instead of improving will surely suffer in the future.

I thought originally it was from age 16...but at 77 I might be mistaken. Surely someone has the criteria.