Presnock

a bit like the visiting from US local rich young lady smashed into a van killing several people and they victims families continue to have to go to court as the rich family just won't pay up what the court has ordered them to do. Shows you the power of the rich here if there was ever any doubt even after the Red Bull heir bit.

Met many! While some like western life, many others still want a change to sharia law - even in the US.

It isn't only the Taliban that live like this. I spent a couple of years in Karachi, Pakistan, the center of the Muslim fundalmentalists. I will give you two examples of what I experienced - 1. a tuktuk driver would stand on his tuktuk to peer over the wall surrounding a reknown Koran scholar who had several teenage daughers and within the walls they didn't have to cover themselves the same. Anyway the scholar had tarps put up on poles to block anyone peering over the wall so the tuktuk driver went to the police and said that he saw the scholar burning pages of the Koran. The police immediately arresed the scholar...when the tuktuk driver went to his favorite coffee house, his buddies told him that since the scholar was well known, the court might believe him instead of the tuktuk driver. So, the tuktuk driver got a mob together, they stormed the police station and hung the scholar in the courtyard for blasphemy! Another story - an imam, claiming his wife was "thinking about having sex with their neighbor" made her sit on the kitchen table, and shoved one of those old-type soldering irons into her body. However, the power in Karachi is off more than on and they had a power outage but he made his wife sit there until the power returned. During that time, their kids constantly begged their father to stop this but he persisted in "punishing " her or the evil thoughts. Afterwards they took her to the hospital - he made his wife say that she bumped into the stove in the kitchen and got the injury. But the female surgeon who examined her could easily tell that was a lie and eventually she got the true story out of her. Final story of a much longer one, Benezir Bhutto the PM had the wife flown to England where she was treated, losing 5 body organs due to that torture. The imam was sentenced to 3 years for that! Sick. One of the Rug owners, who I got to know quite well, invited me to his house several times, each time he tried to get me to "adopt" his three teenaged daughters, all very pretty but I explained to him that the US govt wouldn't allow me to do that. He kept insisting, begging even telling me what their lives would be worthless if they weren't in some other country. He also mentioned as did others that the male children at age 4 would begin their indoctrination into hatred of the US in the mosque. I had requested the tour in Karachi because I had formed opinions of Muslim fundamentalists and wanted to see for myself if they were really like that. Now I know first hand - lots of stories some worse than these. I do feel sorry for the women of ISLAM and realize that everywhere it is not like this. I also have spent some time in Indonesia - totally different unless you go out to some of the islands. I guess since Islam is the fastest growing religion, it must be the males and not the females making that choice. Have a great Wednesday!

DTA with US also says US government Pension can only be taxed by the US also. Also heard one of the experts included North Korea together with the US and Eritria on worldwide taxation...but afterthe OECD agreement, FACTA, and CRS will be getting a lot more money from some folks that have managed to avoid such programs. In my opinion and those that still scheme and manage to avoid taxes, will probably see some changes in the future about tax residency as countries will not leave any monies hidden under any stone eventually.

Until the locals decide that they dislike it so much so that they kick the radicals out, it will remain the same as it has since the stone age! I mean, women have to cover their faces, no speaking, singing or reading out loud - Muslim males must be the most timid of all males and no confidence at all so they make up these rules, totally controlling the females - and of course that means NO EDUCATION whatsoever. Have to love the one restriction - a female can be examined by a doctor - that must be a FEMALE yet they won't allow females to get educated. So where are the female doctors to come from? I have lived in a Muslim fundamentalist capital - had some male acquaintances that told me about a lot of their lives - feel sorry for the women but not the men!

since the boys video'd and tried to blackmail the girls, sounds more like a planned crime than just having a romp! The males usually get away with it (i.e. India, Muslim countries, etc) while the females are sometimes "branded" for life even if they get over it mentally which I guess many do not. I have two daughters so am very opinionated on this school crimes bit which we see often and not only in this country.

Not since I became eligible to vote for sure and that was in the 60's! And now the two parties platforms are so polarized that they are further apart than ever before that I can remember anyway. And, another reason to spend my retirement in Paradise as opposed to the antics surrounding the elections.

Well in just about every definition of "pardon" which he has received from the King, all rights are usually restored including the holding of office and any penalties associated with the crimes. Of course TIT and those definitions go anywhere or nowhere. Just as office holders have been convicted of crimes in other nations and not Thailand so they obviously can hold some senior positions too. One would need to consult the senior law folks here to determine what if any penalties still are in effect for the former PM.

speaking of history, these problems exist because the west drew borders but these tribes have existed for ages before those borders were put up and they do not recognize them at all. Besides that, they are are radical Islamic force and Islam is currently the fastest growing religion throughout the world. Their own countries are usually %$#@holes so they illegally and legally move to the more developed countries and then begin to try to change the religion and life within their NEW homes. Not a pretty picture. I sure don't know the answer to fixing the current problems.

there has been talk of this since at least when I was here in the mic 70's. then they were discussing the pros and cos of a possible move to the ancient capital of Ayuttaya but in the past decades, that area floods every year too and I have seen them talking about some closer provinces. Best to get with those plans quickly.

Actually in my opinion both parties need to redo their candidates for the highest office of the US. I am not impressed by these two nor quite a few in the past. But as just one voter I can't influence the election one way or the other. Also not impressed with the party lines, that is of either of them!

One thing that I noticed since 2006 - the military folks were in control almost all that time until now yet there are a lot of "allegations" of malefeasance so one would have thought that every nook and cranny has already been searched for actual proof by now yet they had to come up with some pretty far stretched crimes for which he paid quite a large sum of money. Just saying, as a foreigner I have no real say in what happens here, I just love Thailand and the citizens and wish the best for all of this country. I still consider it paradise after 30+ years of living here. Just my opinion anyway.

I see similar stories on the health insurance industry - seems to me that too many insurance companies are controlled by rich people and have an aversion to paying out for that which people are buying that insurance for. I would think that the citizens would start pressuring their elected officials to fix these problems. Only in paradise I guess.

I notice their comment above about the power of the Chinese marketing - "even developed countries have imposed trade barriers on China" so that their local businesses are not negatively affected by the strongarmed Chinese businessmen. And it also mentions that Thailand already has a negative annual trade deficit with China!

Pita and his party too said that they were not worried about the possible dissolution of their party and it leaders banishment for 10 years of holding office in Thailand. I guess we will see how much power Mr. Thaksin still retains. Would be nice if we could have some stability for a change.

Still unclear to me, reading the Thai Revenue Department rules/regulations concerning this taxation bit - I as an American having only a US govt pension as inclome so under the DTA not taxable outside the US, plus I have an LTR so the monies I do remit from my pension each month, are also not taxable - this, I do not have ANY ASSESSABLE Thai income, so IAW the rules of the Revenue Dept, I do not have to obtain a tax ID number although I live here 365 days a year. I have not been queried by my US bank about a TIN so until I experience any problem or until the Thai govt via the RD changes the requirement for obtaining a TIN, I will ignore this subject. I am amazed still of so many people tryiing to avoid paying taxes somewhere, obviously not Americans since we learn from birth that we will have to pay taxes until we die. Best of luck to you that wish to avoid paying taxes anywhere, that is why so many countries have signed onto the OECD, FACTA and CRS programs, even some autocrat nations have done so. As for worldwide income taxation programs, I have recently seen that North Korea has joined the US and Ethiopia as the 3 countries doing worldwide income taxation but believe many will be joining that list unless they already have.

Yes, that "greatest" (self proclaimed) NEGOTIATOR worked out quite an invitation for the Taliban to return - and the current president and his generals seemed totally inept at the withdrawal of US forces. Now, they are back to the stone age where they will stay and the rest of the world will probably send monies to that government. SICK!

bring back cash? how about when you go exchange that cash for baht - will have to show your passport right? Then they have a paper trail on you.

Well read the benefits on the BOI LTR page. when I applied and got my LTR is says exempt from remitted foreign income taxes and I don't see else that can be interpreted by the "experts". All must always be aware of what they read here and on the YouTube tax experts as almost all of it is rumor mill info. WE expats will know maybe once the new tax forms are published in "Nov/Dec" if that happens or maybe not until after Jan 2025 when anyone with assessable income is supposed to file for taxes. If the DTA protects your income or you are exempted elsewhere then why even think about it at all. Amazing to continue hearing some of the same stories months and months continuously. Best of luck to all.

I am ignorant in details about yellow book id and pink book id etc, but I notice from another AN user, that the Pink id card is done from the yellow book documentation. best of luck

As I have heard it said "History of wars is written by the winners, not the losers".

If anyone doesn't believe that the Thai govt plans to have foreign residents pay taxes, then suggest you read the interview of 15 July, 2024 of Ms. Kulaya Tantitemit, the Thai Revenue Departmenbt head. In that interview she says they will begin this taxation of remitted funds first of all during 2024 for remitted funds and then they are "discussing" the implementation of the worldside income taxation of "foreigners" who become tax residents in Thailand. I realize that the govt has now changed, not sure if she will still be the head of the Revenuel Dept but it sure looks like expats are going to be targets for taxation depending of course on DTA's and assessable income. Just saying - best of luck to all

But since their biggest export (when I used to be there) is manpower - due to English speaking and training as nurses and other skills needed by workers. Just saying, as they may have decided that trying to figure out all the other tax programs that the retirees may have had in their own countries was not economically positive to go after. And, who knows what will happen with the new govt and current tax program and possible next one. Best of luck

possibly since Thailand says they want to attract more retirees then maybe they will look at the other ASEAN countries and how they responded to the new taxation schemes i.e. the PI with no taxes on remitted income. Good luck

Yessir, many years ago I was assigned to NKP in Northern Thailand - I had many Thai friends, many who had older relatives that were around during the Japanese occupation of that area. They even had loads of pictures of themselves as younger with the Japanese soldiers. Go to the museums in Kanchanaburi - you will see much from that period including the Japanese occupiers.