mfd101

Makes sense. Only a fox knows where the other foxes are, and how to catch them. The problem is to control the police fox.

Hope the Germans will be paying out over time on the basis of performance-to-date ... Otherwise down the (highly polluted) drain.

A couple of Sametto pills a day + healthy diet (reduce sugar, high on fibre & vegies) & plenty of exercise (30 minutes fast walking a day will do).

The price of brunch at PTT here in Prasat - eg larb & papaya salad - hasn't changed in the 6.5 years we've been living here.

For once I find myself - as an elderly homosexual - feeling empathy towards a trans person. Could it be because she sounds sensible, mature, non-demonstrative and quietly getting on with life?

Thais love complexity. Just look at their architecture. Or their immigration rules. Or their infrastructure planning. Or their 'Constitution'. Complexity means there's always an escape route.

Some people are ignorant. Some people are morons. Some people are both ignorant and morons.

A good place to start would be to pay all public servants - including police, Immigration officials & teachers - a decent (livable) salary from the public purse. Next step would be qualifications for entry ie failable exams, properly (externally) supervised. No quals, no job. No regular training updates, no job.

Mmmmm, well optimism's what keeps us going.

Gently gently catchee monkey.

I'm wondering whether before I die (currently 74) I'll be able to take a bullet train from Surin to BKK. Or even from here in Prasat! Currently it's 1.5 hours car to Buriram airport, 2 hours wait for takeoff (always on time in my experience), 1-hour flight, 1 hour from touchdown at Don Muang to Asoke. Most of a day gone. Then the reverse a few days later.

If I were attacked here at home, I could always throw books.

My b/f ate raw pork yesterday here in Surin. His family think it's normal. He had a tummy upset all last night. Fine this morning. No signs of imminent demise.

Yes, Usofans live in a highly suggestible society.

In BKK I take the skytrain wherever possible. Solves all the above problems on both sides of the argument.

I have heard it said that Thais laugh in such situations because they don't know what to do. Combine that with Buddhist pacifism and here's the result ...

None of the above. I have an old (long-closed) Federal government superannuation (CSC) which is funded from consolidated revenue each year & is taxed 'coming out' because not taxed 'going in'. So I now pay the 32% tax on every part of that part of my income. Didn't have to do that until I became a NRfTP 3 or 4 years ago.

Thanks. Noted. Will certainly consider Public Trustee when necessary.

So you have no Oz-sourced income? [I'm a 'non-res for tax purposes' but my entire incomes are from Oz and I pay more tax than I did when I was a resident.]

If simple superannuants/pensioners are going to have to lodge a return (and 120K per year is absurdly small), I guess the Thai tax/revenue department is going to be overwhelmed with work requiring English-language skills (amongst others). Net outcome: Swollen bureaucracy even more swollen. No benefit to the nation (except for lower middle class employment opportunities).

Oh dear. I better get used to the idea then.

The question then is: Will we nevertheless still have to file a return?

Most of my bridges have been 'burned' by death. Not too many contacts back in Oz now - which makes organizing matters financial for my partner post-my-mortem increasingly difficult (because Oz law requires all sorts of things to be signed off by an Oz resident).

They retire to the family farm in Isaan and keep house for the workers.

I don't disagree but - in democracies in particular - getting there is very difficult (just ask the Japanese who have 'been there' for now some 30 years). Aging population, tax base, economic energy & creativity ... managing expectations in that context is very difficult for any government. China already facing it.