Presnock

Not really, I could care less if they protest as long as they don't inconvenience the majority. If they were the majority different folks would be elected and seeing as who we have to vote for over the past decades, maybe they are the majority. I was just suggesting that they move permanently to those other countries since they seem to be rooting for them rather than our friends. I at 77 have seen enough demonstrators over the years at home and in other countries where at times they did manage to change the government even. But they were peaceful and the majority and didn't negatively affect the rest of the citizens.

For anyone interested here is the forum for expats in the PI - all kinds of anwers. descriptions, living areas, costs, visas etc expatforum.com then one can see "join the community" join and enjoy

I spent 18 months there but that was over 55 years ago. Weather similar to here, as are beaches, mountains, and jungle. The people from what I read are great and welcome foreigners. The food is good too. Some say the immigration is better. Taxes ? I have no idea. But we may find out over the next year or so here. In any case, most of the readers here in 10-20 years of sucking up the pollution it might be a moot point.

Just like any visa for Thailand, whether it be the BOI LTR, the elite visa, the various retirement visas, there are certain requirements - some people have apparently used agent in order to meet certain requirements and everyone who has gotten a visa through the various means still has to maintain the ORIGINAL requirements for the said visa or the visa can be withdrawn by the immigration people. The BOI LTR as I opinined several times is the BEST and CHEAPEST for me. The benefits out weigh most other visas or are close to some visas costing ten or more times that of this visa. ANd like others have mentioned, it is for the Long Term RESIDENT and it exempts one from having to pay taxes on funds remitted into Thailand and yet still allows one to work in Thailand too through the work permit process. I realize all cannot meet all the requirements, not can all meet all the requirements of every visa offered. Just like I did, one can check out any visa available and determine which is best for that person. I don't think that I would have been affected by any new interpretation of the tax laws anyway but this is just another possible benefit some could use to avoid having to pay taxes on that remitted money if any. Have a great day! be happy!

Sending the protesters to Iran was onlly to get them out of the US. Let them go to the country that fosters what they are demonstrating against. Had their HAMAS folks not carried out that terrorist act in October, Israel would not be hunting them down in GAZA. I do know what I am talking about and I express my opinion even though I realize that anyone else can do so too. But anyone that takes some of the comments on this forum should consider what they read regularly here is just that, someone's opinion as most have no idea of the true situation whether it be in Thailand or Iran or the US. Ask any of the US hostages held by Iran in 1979. I have talked with them and others that were working there until that date.

I am truly sorry if I offended anyone by saying "immigrant-stained" blood as it was not meant in any derogatory manner. I am my family have nothing but immigrant ancestors. I am proud to be an American and I find that too many people take too many comments on this forum too seriously - that is my opinion and I usually tell folks this it is my opinion only - as my wife and daughter telll me - CHILL please. As for where folks all came from - I notice that no matter how educated experts are when making statements about what happened millenia ago, as time goes on those statements are becoming less and less correct. Who knows where we all came from - no human being on this planet knows the answer to that (in my opinion).

well right after the 40 years ago, leadfree gasoline began being introduced here in Thailand. The government subsidized the corn growing for ethanol to replace the lead so a lot of new fields needed to be cleared - easiest way was to burn burn burn plus all those mushroom hunters I guess that burn off the undergrowth to find their "crop". S. Asia does this every year and every year S. Asian cities fill up the top ten polluted in the world! The figures that the medical folks put out regularly for treatment of respiratory illness is staggering. Those figures are provided on this forum too.

I have a US insurance company and yes, I originally provided the BOI with the 2024 benefits booklet that indicated "UNLIMITED" funding of hospitalization in a foreign hospital and yes, BOI said that I needed to get a letter from the insurance company that specifically said "50,000 USD" for hospitaliation" and my insurance company wrote a nice letter stating that very fact so my health insurance was accepted. I knew this would be the case because several LTR holders that had gone through he process also got their insurance company to write that very same thing although our insurance coverage would theoretically cover even a higher amount as it is "unlimited" hospitalization coverage spelled out. Our experiences with this hospitalization have been covered in this forum so I would think that those with European insurance could have done the same thing we did. The BOI English while seemingly fluent just doesn't accept unlimited coverage to equal at least 50K USD. This is my opinion on the subject anyway and it was the same about financial since my original documents from the US govt total well over the necessary 80K but they wanted two years of 1040 tax forms. Once I understood what their problem was, I sent them the copies of my 2 years of 1040's and immediately was approved for the LTR. That is why whenever I see something on this forum from someone wanting infor on the LTR I pass on my experience to assist them in the prerequisite areas. However, each of us is different sometimes from different countries with different documentation so I can only do what I know about. Good luck to all as I am of the opinion that this LTR from the BOI is the best for the money and ease for a long time. take care stay safe

No, I am pretty sure it will be about the same as any other visa - when one renews it (i.e. 5 years from now if just received it) they will probably ask the visa holder to confirm that the financial and health insurance (documented) are still valid. I have no problem doing that just as I did for the yearly retirement O visa as I have the financial and health coverage for lifetime. Now if people have gone or are goind the way of having agents supply certain favors, then that might change things. Some day if the immigration does away with agents there might be a lot of unhappy and leaving folks in my opinion based on what I do hear on this forum but no matter, as it will not affect me at all.

All depends on how you define idiots. These protesters are not the majority at those colleges who want to graduate now but can't get into their schools due to the protesters. Blocking traffic, trashing the areas, etc great for them maybe. In 1968 you didn't find me demonstrating, I had just finished 2 years in VN, had a lot of friends in the South Vietnamese Army. They were fighting the Communists who wanted to rule the country and were supported by the Chinese and Russians. The Palestinian people (non-HAMAS) allowed the radicals to set up camps, target Israel, and to carry out regular rocket attacks, then came October, guess Israel is tired of having this group set up offices and camps in hospitals and civilian occupied areas. I think that the Muslims of the Middle East need to help fix this problem.

Ask the women of Iran why they have been arrested for not covering their hair, why do the women have to cover their hair. I had several friends at the embassy in 1979 so I know quite a bit about life there. Ask the Israeli's about the October raids of HAMAS and read some of those stories. Iran is funding and guiding the HAMAS and other terrorist groups in the Middle East. Iran is a terrorist nation that will possibly have nukes in the future - another "little Rocket Man". My comment may seem "stupid" to you, but I think you are stupid to think that life is "quite nice" in Iran.

I totally agree, but give them a choice since they are so unhappy with US life, let them choose between Russia, Iran, N. Korea, China or especially the females, Afghanistan though most of the 'stans treat women like slaves anyway. But, like that guy a long time ago that canoed his way to Cuba complaining about giving up US citizenship due to how bad life was in America - I noted he eventually wanted to come home as he learned quick enough that the "grass is not always greener on the other side". I for one think that this is now a world problem as millions of immigrants don't want to live as a native son in the country to which they have immigrated but instead seem to be trying to change life in the US to that of the country from which they fled! IDIOTS and stop feeding them, housing them, schooling them with my TAX dollars!!!!!

well unless one of your ancestors was a native born AMERICAN INDIAN as we call them, then you are still have some immigrant stained blood running through your veins.

where this folk is getting confused is "assessable" income and after remitting the specified amount of funds remitted is still not assessable income does one have to get a tax id number? does one still have to file for non-assessable income where there is currently no place on the form to file for non-assessable funds according to the folks who have filed. I guess I will go the way of others and not file and then see what happens next year with those of us who do not get a TIN nor file a tax for nothing! I have an LTR says I do not have to pay any taxes on my overseas income (no matter if it is earned or not) plus my income is a US govt pension and I have no other income so unless the tax laws are actually changed I will not have any assessable income for the next 10 years anyway. Seems like we just keep spinning the wheel (covered with possible answers) and grabbing at anything. I have listened to the "experts" different nationalities too and have yet to have any really definative anwer other than well the law says if you remit assessable income over 120K (married) they you must get a tax id number and file a tax form the following year even though the current forms have no place to actually write the non-assessable income remitted. These experts to me seem to be setting themselves up for some paying customers each tax year and to me they fit right in there with immigration agents. Oh well too old to really worry about this tax crap and note that in other countries too the ex-pats re wondering in some cases,

I totally agree as that is the standard for maintaining any visa, just like maintaining 800K so many months before or after renewall. I wasn't worried about myself but just so everyone would not make a decision to drop health insurance or not maintain their accounts for which they were given the visa. I changed to the LTR to drop the 90-day reports, ease of doing the tm.30 has almost always been quick and easy but to insure too about the monies from overseas being remitted into Thailand. I am aware that the current DTA supecedes the local tax folks, and that my pension is a US govt pension so I feel even more confident that any regulation change by the Thai Revenue Department will not affect me...BUT, TIT. Maybe none of the ex-pats will be affected at all unless they haven't ever paid any due taxes either here or in their home country. take care, raining here in BKK, I asked one of the taxi bikes what that strange water was falling. He couldn't stop laughing and said yessir it has been quite some time since we had a good shower.

Previously I advised BOI LTR holders to query the BOI with any questions - I did so myself when someone talked about having IO's ask about monies or other things. I queried the BOI and asked about maintaining the qualifications during the 5/10 year - their response was that "it is important to maintain the qualifications for the LTR in order to keep the visa". That is a quote. Take care stay safe - hey what is this strange waters falling from the sky today?

A Research and heartr doctor who has ventured into food as a disease and cure world with tremendous success using those tools developed and paid for by the big pharma companies. Dr. William Li has two best sellers out about causes of the major killers of mankind and cures that now are being found through foods. Some of these have been known (and used) for thousands of years especially by the Chinese and he and other labs are now coming out with foods to cure that are more potent than the pharma's medicines for treatment and these foods don't cause side effects. And yes, diets can definitely affect the mood, just have a gf/spouse who exercises to "lose" weight and one can usually follow the "progress" of such practice and the moods that follow too. One can visit a doctor for sure who can diagnos through blood tests of bad levels plus or minus necessary nutrients and thus either take a pill or two OR buy foods that contain those very same nutrients at a more potent and healthy level. Being in Thailand, one can easily find ALL of the good foods as well as even more of the bad foods. Like this Dr, Li says - go into any store, check out the foods, read the lables, if there are any ingredients that you do not know about or are in strange languages like Greek or so then that is an ultra processed food stuff which is a misnomer by definition as it is not a healthy nutritious food. Good luck, tasty foods, good health, long healthy life (maybe if you don;t breathe bad air)).

We I have been hearing the same thing for the 50+ years I have been visiting or living in this SEA region and NOTHING that works has been done. All of the governments in this region are basically the same in their responses to this problem. While it is very evident by sight, telling all that it affects the health of all falls on deaf ears it seems as the draw of monies takes precendent over just about anything else here. Maybe but probably not, even if the tourists stop coming during the "burning season", locals will just jack up the prices to compensate for their losses as the seems to be their only responses. My opinion and experience anyway.

I monitor the pollution here in my district of Bangkok and the only time it actually within the "safe" limit of 37.8 - is when I walk my dogs between 3-6 AM. Once traffic really begins, the level increases too and there have been less than 10 days in the past 6 months that the level remained in the safe limit. I also walk during every evening (wearing a quality N95 mask and I notice many others exercising too but very few are wearing a mask. Some have even aked me why I am wearing a mask, easy enough to explain to them and their responses if any are "but we are out in the fresh air so why are you still wearing a mask?" With responses like this, I realize a lot of these folks will suffer various illnesses later. Today the AM walk with dogs my meter read 50 2.5 microns, then the rains started. I will measure the air later today to see the effects of the rains (quite heavy at times). to all - be safe, be healthy, be happy.

well I grew up (60-70's) in a small town on the E. shore of MD - there were all kinds of muscle cars running around on the streets - had a small track over the MD/DEL line in DEL that raced 'em every week with plenty of crowds there. Then, throughout the years when I would return, one could still find these in "mint" condition every Friday through Sunday at some parking lot in that area. Those of course were from he good ol' days. TImes definitely changed but don't believe the lovers of these vehicles have changed much if they are still around.

there are quite a few translations done now on those tablets...I have read quite a few of them and from what I have one of the Calf universities/college offers a computer program to translate the tablets. However, those tablets are protected property. Whatever one takes from those translations is one's own opinion of what someone wrote thousands of years ago - a tad like whatever one takes from the comments on the forums. take care stay safe be happy

you must have quite a loud sounding exhaust too which is what most of us like about the fast moving vehicles.

hey, saw a I guess interesting news report early this AM...seems in NYC, stores are shutting down. Due to a change in the local laws, theft of anythiing under a thousand dollars yes a thousad dollars is not being considered as a criminal act now and police cannot arrest those doing the stealing even when called by the stores to come arrest these criminals. Therefore, at first the stores just jacked up the prices of their legal customers so they would have to pay for the stolen merchanidise. That didn't work so now the stores just have to close as they are being robbed and can't afford it to even stay open anymore. What a world I have fled...sure ain't gonna go back to that crap and have to carry just to survive.

after your description, I can now understand why my Daddy said don;t!!!!

yeah I have seen this but have you been watching or reading about the invasion from the south of the US? Any color any nationality, inlcuding record numbers of military-aged Chinese males, guess they'll berunning for Congress soon as democrats.