Presnock

Problem seems to be that too many people ONLY watch the media that they thing is telling THEM the truth when in fact, today's media does not care about the truth as much as they do about garnering listeners and advertisers to pay for their reporters and bosses. Same with candidates, they are not just happenstance but are selected and funded by the rich and powerful who do so in order to gain potentially beneficial laws and regulations for their further profits. Trump last time around gave them a big break and they reaped record profits again. Now he is promising the same thing again if elected...means that the middle class will continue to shrink. My opinion of course only!

And like some of those elected officials many years prior to Binden's ascent to the Presidency. As long as the rich and powerful determine who can run for office, this will continue as the voters are dumber or just as dumb as those that they elect. That is and has been my opinion since I became eligible to vote many decades ago. Have a good day!

Not to worry, I still have to pay taxes to the US IRS every year as I have done since I started working. The years one has been here before 2024 and the OECD agreement in 2023, probably escaped paying taxes somewhere beside in Thailand but I still paid my US taxes those years too. One of the driving forces for the OECD agreement FACTA and CRS is those people who have not been paying taxes to any country. I notice too some people on this forum continue planning ways to avoid paying taxes on their income. If many people continue to do that, then look for further changes in Tax residence requirements as there will be someone somewhere looking for those people. As Americans are taught, and as mentioned by Ben Franklin a couple of hundred years ago - the only sure thing in this world is taxes and death - or words to that effect. Best of luck

wrong - the Thai revenue Department set the number at 180 days in a calendar year makes one a Thai Tax Resident. In the written (converted to English too) on the thai revenue depart webb site. Easy enough for anyone to find and shouldn't need somebody draw you a picture!

my personal experience and opinion on his winning the presidency was because even more Dems hated Hillary so crossed over to vote against her and for Trump!

And from what I hear from friends and family in the US, prices in stores including essential foods have yet to come back down at all.

And, the Rich and powerful also determine in many elections, the candidates that they want to give them even more benefits in laws and taxes. The US is in my opinion guilty of this - just look at Trump, he gave big business a tax break before and he is promising them again a big break. He is cutting out the middle class entirely and blaming the problems on them. I have paid taxes since I began receiving any income except during my years in VN as a teenager. I don't mind paying those taxes as the money for government and programs of all kinds must have tax money. I do not however believe in double taxation but I also not believe in tax avoidance illegally. I realize by moving constantly every year one can avoid becoming a tax resident - those that have not been paying is one of the main reasons for all the new laws via OECD, FACTA and CRS regulations. Any complaints should be directed at those who claim they pay no taxes nor will they pay any in the future. Laws of all kinds will continue to be altered seeking out those managing to escape. Best of luck to all

After taking advantage of the different options provided by AN users here I checked out my status re taxation and know that I am protected by the LTR and by the DTA agreement with the US. As an American I have always paid my taxes on all income every year. Guess a lot more countries are going to start that same process or find other ways to make everyone pay tax somewhere to a country as they tell us up front that is the purpose of the FACTA CRS OECD programs. I also hear that some countries opted for world wide taxation but then slid away from it a bit. We'll see if the new govt here will continue in that direction.

read the william Li Diet books - can easily if really desire so with the available healthy foods. eating processed meats at all is just like eating sugar and white flour foods. Just look at the fat stats for developed countries - developed by food processors that take the good out of food and replace it with chemicals that harm the body! I can only imagine someone living in a remote village that doesn't farm him/her self nor is there a good local market as good foods are available here. One has to decide on health or live like a sloth. Good luck

Sorry for you...my wife realized early why I retired here in Thailand, why I would not marry her family but only her and that while she could visit with them as she wanted or they could occasionally visit her, I wanted only a relationship with her as I am from a different society and that if she could be happy with me versus living side by side with her family then we could marry. More than 20 years later, we are still together, in BKK renting while daughter is in college, but wife has very little contact with her family except on the phone only. In the year plus that we have been here, we met for lunch with the family once about 2 months after arriving here and that has been it. One sister and her husband did visit us twice during the time we have been here.

No friggin' way. I never implied in my comments that we should join Russia - after all we didn't join Germany that was rolling over the EU armies and the Japanese were rolling over all in the Pacific and as I said we joined the armies of EU in stopping the Germans and the Aussies in stopping Japan in the pacific. Your even suggesting from what I wrote that we should join Russia who is totally at fault in attacking the Ukraine and we should have stopped them in the earlier years when they took Crimea. Now, some Russians are learning about their support of Putin...while it is an act of desperation, and I fail to see how those Ukrainian soldiers in Russia will ever be able to sustain operations and still escape back to "safer" lands. Anyway, I am not a fan of war but realize too that mankind is violent and seems to love wars as it can be profitable. Have a great day.

I do believe one would need to go to India to where the Buddha began his teachings about right and wrong and way of life as in India there are some extremely ancient teachings that probably merged into different religions there and the began to spread around the world, just as Christians have been joining and merging with different stories of life and creations. In some of the really ancient civilizaitions i.e. the Sumerians they have their stories supposedly passed down by "those from the sky". Amazingly some of the different ancient African beliefs have similar stories of the creation of mankind. Who really knows what went on prior to the ancient civilizations...the scrolls found in the middle east tell some of the different stories. When does the Bible actually begin...stories of 900+ year old members in the Bible. Sumerians tell why that could be possible as they tell stories of 2500 year olds and older list of kings. Will mankind ever really know? maybe after one dies he will know maybe or does it all really end then?

Well when I went to do the transfer, I also had a 90-day report due, then prior to the opening of the CM IO, I had to fill out those two sheets that all fill out in front under the tent, then the official walking around and checking on what folks were there for prior to the office opening, checked my out and said oh, go back to the TM.30 office (opens 10 minutes before the main office opens - and takes 5 minutes or less to update the TM.30, then after I turned in the paperwork and request to transfer stamps they advised me to walk in the 90-day report window and then bring the p/p back (2 minutes) and I did that and they sent me into the main bldg for the transfer of stamps so totally I spent just over an hour waiting and got everything updated in my new P/P and then by the next month I had an BOI LTR in my new p/p. so the p/p is good for 10 years as is the visa. Perfect timing on both. I find CM IO today much better than just a few years ago when we used to have to queue up hours early just go get a queue number hopefully for the same day to do whatever we had to do. Now with online and their organization prior to opening each day it makes it much easier. I never was able to ever even get an appointment since they were always backed up beyond my time for a visit. (months!!!). Not to worry though as I just showed up each time and usually spent 90 minutes or less all day to get things done. Now I don't have to thnk about it at all. for the next 10 years.

Problem being that each wat is a kingdom itself in the minds of the religious here. Unfortunately, monks are humans too and are not regulated closely by the nation in my opinion based on all the stories I have read over the years about them . But this is Thailand, it prides itself on the religion, the royal family, etc and that is their right, this is their country. We as westerners can never climb into the minds of the local people just as they can't figure us out. Religions seem to me for the most part (western) seems to be fading away. The fastest growing in the world today seems to be ISLAM and not just radicals. Meanwhile the western Christians seem to be shrinking and changing some things - just look at the history of the religions of he world. Who knows which one is "correct", is there a correct or valid religion today that fits all the different people? I sure have not a clue whatsoever! I allow my wife and daughter to believe in whatever suits them.

Actually it is rather easy. Just read the two best sellers from Dr. William Li, a famous heart surgeon, scientist, best selling author of two books on DIET and Healthy foods. I thought I was eating healthy anyway and had already adopted some of his recommendations but after reading the books I realized how many healthy foods are available here in Thailand! I have been able to find places that do fix healthy meals based on his recommendations, and as for fruits, berries, nuts, grains, etc, there are numerous places selling all of those plus just in the regular markets are plenty of healthy veggies, fruits, etc and one of the big problems locally is cooking oils - easy to learn where one can eat healthy or where to avoid. Of course fo r those readers that live in rural areas with limited shopping I might have misled you. I am talking about CM and Bangkok because I do have plenty of experience in those two locations on shopping for healthy foods. Healthy bodies isn't 100% food, but also taking care by exercising regularly, good hygiene practices, avoiding unhealthy drinks or drugs. But I do hope the best for all, especially looking at health statistics for developed nations which should be better than here but is scary to say the least.

I thought that was decided the previous year when I got my new passport in November. So I never checked for any letter, and went to the CM IO in February and did my transfer of stamps. No problem whatsoever. They took the two passports and 60 minutes later gave them back with all necessary transfers - at the same time I did a new TM.30 and 90-day report to have all in my new passport - all freebies and great service without any letter from the US embassy.

That is what is driving Trump crazier now more than ever...a woman oh yeah and in his cracked mind, a "woman of color" beating him soundly! I don't know how he could win this debate coming up without totally ranting on stage...guess we will see.

Not so with me - actually my western wife was more involved with her family than my Thai wife who wanted to move away from all relatives after we were married so that they would not interfere in our lives.

AMEN!

Trump didn't even do one of the original group! If Biden had not fumbled (wasn't suffering dementia already) Trump wouldn't even have debated him on Trump's terms at all. But like I said meaningless as IMHO neither are qualified mentally to be the president of the USA.

and pray tell where was Trump when the other presidential candidates held their debates? your comment though fit him perfectly "no president elect ever dodged the media like this". I am definitely not a fan of KH nor do I think that she or her VEEP pick are capable of being the president of the US - but in my opinion Trump is way beyond a mental giant able to handle the office of the presidency nowadays - his mental capacity vanished years ago for sure and he is losing it on an almost daily basis with the ranting and hatred he spews out! my opinion is that both are not capable. end of story.

sounds like a non-scrupulous visa AGENT to me...

Agree and always remember as do the Germans, and Japanese - although we defeated them in a total war, we enabled them in every way possible to rebuild into international economic powers and that was strictly planned. I think that all should remember that too, that enemies can become friends if both sides join together to fix problems besides war. Hopefully all will think that way. In War all we have is two losers, one less than the other so declared a winner but the foot soldiers paid the price for that.

Yeah, as a US veteran, VN volunteer etc, I believe in doing my fair share. Even at 77 if the US requested, I would volunteer today. I have no doubt that the EU combined couldn't do ti alone, I recall all the stories I have read about WWII and if the US hadn't joined them then, they would all be speaking German while the Asians would be speaking Japanese. But, I am not a favorite of war, it is not pretty, it is not fun and unless one has experienced all that a war brings, one will never realize just how ugly it can get. I have friends that today, still suffer severe medical conditions because of the VN war. But they too only suffer in person to another vet as anyone else just doesn't understand and can never fully understand.

Well since the ancestors of most US citizens today came from Europe I sure can't imagine the majority favoring to abandom them as Putin comes rolling. He will realize from his own people eventually that the cost will be too high (at least I hope he does before he does something even dumber such as nukes). People are more alike even though they may be from many different lands but as sons continue to fall for a dumb play they will rebel. It happened during the VN days and the Afghani days even though the numbers were much smaller than VN. Hopefully the world will convince Putin to tone down his desire to expand back to the USSR days.