mfd101

7 minutes ago, Myran said:

What is the problem with having 20k with you? It's a bit of money, sure, but hardly enough to make a big deal out of.

I agree, but I don't usually even think about it so I could easily arrive with less in my wallet (or some jumble of foreign currencies) & receive a nasty surprise ...

1 hour ago, sumrit said:

Apparently, in the near future, TW aim to introduce a system where you will be able to name the partner bank you would like them to use when you set up a transfer.

News on that will be quite important when it happens. Many of us will be hanging on it.

Otherwise hanging from the rafters ...

They want to eat their cake & have it.

Rest of the world doesn't sympathize. Funny that.

10 minutes ago, KarlS said:

If you do not fit the profile you will not be asked.

Mmmm, well that's a bit random though, isn't it? The issue is: If they ask me to show cash & I have, say, only 8K on me, can they/will they stop me entering?

[I am, otherwise, a sweet elderly gentleman, looks 50, wears glasses, always dressed in relaxed middle class style (jeans & s/l shirt, plimsols & socks.) ????????????]

Just to clarify: Who exactly does the 20K requirement apply to? (to the extent that it applies - either theoretically or in practice - to anyone).

I'm about to head to Veetnaaam in 3 weeks for a few days. I'm in Thailand for - I hope - the rest of my life on retirement extension and I can't remember ever being asked before to show cash on arrival back in LOS, but I get nervous when I constantly read these things on TV ...

8 hours ago, SheungWan said:

The UK will continue to fail to come up with a solution outside of a backstop. Come up with a solution and the backstop goes away. Legal protection for a default. So where does this leave us if no solution? It means that Parliament cannot this moment pass a deal and since it is also the situation that there is no majority for a no-deal........ So.... another referendum sails into view.

Yes, as Junker or Tusk said recently: The problem is that there is no majority in the British Parliament FOR anything. There are only majorities against.

What a wunnerful culture, full of Hope 'n Glory.

1 hour ago, sammieuk1 said:

Looks like Boris has now evaporated leaving his shambolic mess at the border of his mansion???? 

Let's hope he stays that way, for the sake of the the whole world let alone the UK.

It would be interesting to know who these 'forest dwellers' are (eg ethnicity? how many? where? there for how long?). And what is their conservation record vs that of the supposedly responsible government departments?)

The obvious solution - as hinted at by one or two above - is to take control of your transfer dates yourself ie DIY!

My Oz superannuation is paid fortnightly into my bank account in Oz, and this is supplemented by a monthly drawdown from my investments which comes into my Oz account on the 20th of every month [unless the 20th is a holiday or weekend in which case it comes in the last business day before the 20th].

So, on or soon after the 20th each month, I do a transfer of 65K+ - now via TransferWise but used to be a SWIFT transfer - to my Thai account here in Surin. No sweat.

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

 

He's called Kimbo's bluff, really?

 

If there enough information available to substantiate your conclusive statement?

 

Was it in fact the other way around? Do you know, I don't. 

  

 

1 hour ago, mtls2005 said:

 

Says who?

 

Kim probably can play chess. Trump, meh, he'd probably just eat his checkers.

 

Trump is never prepared, and he's often proud to admit that.

 

Amazing what a low bar Trump supporters have.

  

 

In a closed world one is not even allowed, it appears, to speculate.

Quite apart from the rights & wrongs of BOTH sides, it's an interesting example of the difficulties caused by nation-state vs cultural diversity in Third World countries or situations (cf Philippines & Afghanistan & Kashmir and on & on).

The key difficulty often comes down to the question: Who gets to sit at the table? which has deep symbolism for everyone (as the experience above demonstrates).

You negotiate with one group, but 10 other groups stay on the sidelines watching & waiting for the next move. And each group has its own raison d'être, its own priorities, its own sensitivities & leadership aspirations ... so little progresses despite what may be good will & good faith on both sides at the table.

Nothing at all.

If you plan to leave Thailand permanently or longterm or visit in future only for short stays, then - once you have your latest extension - you can do whatever you like with your money.

But you can't change your mind half-way through ...

www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/george-pell-result-the-catholic-church-never-expected/news-story/eddd4fc3a4b8289b0067dce8b4618186

Anyone remember 'recovered memory syndrome'? All the rage in Usofa about 20 years ago - screams 'n sobs, families broken up, accusations of adult children against their startled parents, law cases galore ... And then, after several years of hysteria, it all went away, as the lawyers & psychiatrists realized that an honest man or woman - even (or perhaps especially) a deeply traumatized one - may be mistaken & may fabricate all sorts of bizarre stories.

I have no way of knowing the truth or falsity of the charges against George Pell. But the handling of the case by the Victorian Police and the media, & noting the peculiar repeat court proceedings, has all the marks of a witch hunt. It will be fascinating to follow the appeal process. Given the 22-year old events alleged, with no evidence to support, and given the small but sensible arguments against the very possibility of what is alleged, I think if I had been on the jury I would have found it difficult to find guilt BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT.

2 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Why didn't he fly straight to Canada? 

He was after adventure. Heading for Thailand.

Sigh. There are conspiracies everywhere. I just don't know which way to turn!

1 hour ago, Snow Leopard said:

If the Baht keeps getting stronger exports will keep falling and tourists will stop coming. A strong Baht hurts millions and helps very few. 

Well, a strong baht keeps imports cheaper than they otherwise would be. Which helps not just 'rich people' but also the slowly increasing Thai middle classes, who also consume imported goods.

But yes, some things will suffer with a strong baht. Tourism is an obvious example. If there is enough suffering, the baht will fall ...

Conclusion: Any large modern or even semi-modern economy is immensely complex. At any one time, some things are going up, some things are going down, and some things are stable. The economists' figures are just averages of activity & complexity over time. We don't have anything better to go on for the big picture.

24 minutes ago, JimHuaHin said:

If you follow the Thai government's announcements and believe the Thai government data, the Thai economy is growing great.

 

If you walk around the shopping centres and markets and talk to staff - the economy is in the shit.

 

If you talk to people who work in hotels, most will tell you that there are fewer clients than in last year, and teh year before, .....

 

And if you talk to the average Thai, they will say financially life is a growing struggle.

And as for expats, if they live in Pattaya or Phuket & think things are quiet, then they'll believe anything bad about the economy. And if, like me, you live in southern Isaan on the west-east axis, it's hard to believe anything other than that the economy is booming, and a large number of formerly poor people are driving around on 4 wheels, some very new & smart.

2 comments:

(1) I think it's possible to overestimate the 'dependence on China' issue. As with the Australian economy, there's the basic real & very diverse economy and there's the Chinese icing on top. The icing may be quite thick (in Australia's case) or not that thick at all (in Thailand - take away the Chinese tourists), but the underlying diverse economy is still there beneath.

(2) People here always ascribe too much importance to national governments, and it's the same in Western countries. Governments provide arm waving (known as 'leadership') & they facilitate (or not) ie they stand aside & remove barriers. But the important thing they don't do is: Create wealth. That is done by individuals & groups of individuals cooperating with hard work & sound understanding. The only thing that investors require - both domestically & internationally - is stability ie social & legal predictability. As with civilian governments, these can be provided (or not) by military governments. And very high quality authoritarian regimes (Singapore) can be very stable.

A new version of the Long March. The CCP will be jealous.

For those who have problems dealing with locally engaged staff in the consular area: This is the norm in every Oz Embassy & HIgh Commission everywhere in the world (and no doubt the same for every other 'Western' country too). Saves HUGE labour costs with Aussies. A nice example of pricing yourself out of the market ...

As long as they are well-trained & professional (as they certainly are in BKK), what's the problem? If you had Aussies doing the consular jobs, the price to you would double again!

My experience of visiting the Embassy on expat business (ie stat decs etc) is that they are very efficient (in & out quickly) and have pleasant & courteous professional, locally engaged staff.