aussienam

This Chinese man Mr 'Tian' 38 living abroad in a luxury villa illegally overstaying. What shady business/es have you been up to? Scams? Other online frauds? Laundering? Drugs? Something criminal I speculate. Why would I think that? Getting cynical

Maybe 'Stresam'? I was prescribed that at a hospital in lieu of diazepam. And an antidepressant. Cost over 4000 baht for one month. I almost fell backwards. In Oz, my specialist prescribes diazepam. The hospital specialist wouldn't. Price gauging galore.

So, this appears to be a blitz in Phuket as a knee-jerk response to the Swiss idiot who kicked the Thai doctor. Fair assumption? Since the multiple crackdowns on farangs there lately. Now punishment will be ten-fold against farang to serve as lesson to not harm Thais. I am not disputing that there are farangs doing the wrong thing. And there are some bad actors living in LOS who shouldn't be. Diazepam is dispensed at so many clinics. People with anxiety disorder, depression, chronic tinnitus and other inner ear disorders, alcohol withdrawal, chronic insomnia - can benefit from being on this medication. Of course it can be abused, which is the issue. Many clinics dispense them at 15 to 20 baht each. Hospitals charge consultation and then hospital prices which are exorbitant and almost criminal in how much they charge, albeit the apparent correct way. You go to a certified clinic to speak about suffering with a diagnosed disorder and you are provided with Diazepam and you are meant to know this is apparently not legal as you were not provided a script, rather a clinic resealable bag with a number of tablets, no receipt. Publishing an arrest for 1 x diazepam tablet, and prosecuting him for it. Wow! The man apparently 'looked suspicious' and searched. Looking suspicious? How? Nervous? Shaking in fear? Trying to conceal something? Or just by the 'look' of his face? Or just an excuse made up to target foreigners. I wonder which one. Phuket police are known for some questionable methods. Technically the medication is illegal yes, if not prescribed. But then why not crackdown on the thousands of clinics and pharmacies dispensing them to clueless foreigners.

Should not touch either. How many delicate corals that take decades to form are destroyed by apathetic tourists who trample on, break off with their hands, knock their fins into things, and some trying to acquire souvenirs or 'show and tell' at the surface. Fan coral, one of the most delicate corals that takes decades to form, I have seen videos of clumsy and intentional foreign tourists breaking pieces off. Touching and holding onto fish/reef sharks etc, can remove important protective mucous lining on their scales/skin, leading to infection.

It's not evidence, it's a 'scenario'. And I included words to the effect I hoped it (that scenario) wasn't what happened/close to the truth. Which is why I hope there is more to the story than what was reported.

I've met a few expats who have invested into a bar and their partner manages it. They just sit and build rapport with customers to generate repeat business. So technically not working but just drinking and customers buying them drinks plus the bar staff. I've been told they need to be very careful to never lift a finger to help, in case they are deemed working. Answering the phone to acknowledge a room is available, picking up a dirty ashtray to give it to staff, anything that a bar staff employee could do. But recommending a drink is deemed working? I hope there is more to the story than that as this sounds truly lame. Imagine you are sitting in a bar you invested in that your wife runs. A regular comes in and says, "Mate, what do you recommend for something new to drink, I'm sick of beer?" "Mate, how about a Sangsom and coke?" Thai undercover police swoop in. Evidence of working! No way.

Maybe Putin is sourcing more funds for his Ukraine invasion! (Just a wild theory). Russian hackers are notorious for hitting large institutions. Micro debits multiplied by few million can make a decent fraud scam very profitable.

Unfortunate third world mob leech scamming mindsets of a segment of the population- regardless if you are a good Samaritan, you may be seen as a source of funds to fix one of their own. They know we most often have insurance, and assumptions we can source the money, even if it bleeds us dry of all our funds and forces us into destitution. But it's a dog eat dog world with Thais lying against other Thais as well. I know of two separate road deaths of Thai people where blame was cast to the victims, hit and run scenario and very questionable investigation (virtually none, maybe brown envelope scenario and/or total disinterest). Families then ruthlessly scramble for assets left over with no morals or scruples. I'd have stopped as well, like many people. Perhaps it's always wise to have dash cam and phone footage on outside the car to cover yourself and upload footage to a cloud server before authorities arrive for your own backup.

I worked in a unit in Australia, years ago, tasked with enforcing compliance of pawnbrokers and second-hand dealers. All serial numbers, engravings, descriptions, valid IDs were all uploaded to a national database for potential matches to stolen property. Most owners unfortunately never bothered recording their serial numbers etc. So often it was just doing a lot of standard investigation work to link property to thefts, robberies, break and enters, shoplifting, fraud, etc. It became obvious after a few years of auditing the shops, that the vast majority of property pawned and sold were stolen. The sheer quantity of stolen goods made it impossible to investigate every item. Pawnbrokers and second-hand dealers are straight up licensed receivers of stolen goods. I am sure Thailand is likely the same and that their auditing and compliance requirements are not stringent.

The property sale overseas scenario is still an uncertain issue for me. I purchased the property 2017. I will sell it in the future with expected capital gains. Can it be confirmed that my capital used to purchase my property in 2017, is tax-free if remitted to Thailand after the property sale? Australia has a Capital Gains tax. But has an exemption on investment properties held by Australian tax residents, in that if the property was held for over 12 months, there is a 50% CGT-free component. So only 50% of the capital gains are taxed. I am assuming therefore that the 50% untaxed capital gains is taxable if remitted into Thailand. I receive rental income that goes straight into my account and ready to transfer to Thailand when I need funds. That rental income is pre-tax. Our tax returns in Australia are not lodged until after 1 July each year and can be delayed up to May 15 the following year. Many tax documents take months to receive anyway. This means, remitting income from rent, dividends, savings interest, managed funds, etc, that has not yet been tax assessed in your own country, it can be taxed at the full tax rate in Thailand (not including the part or full tax exemptions that may or may not apply). It seems that this income needs to be hoarded away until it has been tax assessed in your country and any taxes owing have been deducted. In my case this means if I earned income on 1 Jan 2024, I potentially cannot remit that income into Thailand until after May 2025 when my tax deductions are finally processed (likely June/July 2025). So 18-20 months potentially holding my income in Australia from being remitted into Thailand, to avoid being taxed on pre-tax income streams. Problem of course as well is that income received is re-invested back into investment pools during the year and coming in and out. Creating a nightmare landscape of now having to identify sources of funds and whether or not they have or have not been taxed. Until clarity is made, I would consider remitting any large sum of money into Thailand, to buy a Thai property, car, putting into Savings here, post Jan 2024 as open to a potentially huge tax loss and unless you have money to burn, don't do it. Eventually the majority of people will not have pre-2024 savings, capital to rely on as tax-free component. Interestingly, something I have noticed is Facebook postings for Thai properties for sale. Any mention posted in their comments about the Thai taxes potentially adding significant costs to a property purchase in Thailand, are being deleted. I would say property agents here, know about the issues and are getting nervous about the repercussions, wanting to stop consumers from being aware of the taxes.

As all incoming foreign sourced remittances to Thailand are potentially taxable, I wouldn't be rushing to transfer large sums of money into Thailand right now. Property purchases especially. You could end up with a massive tax bill - equating to an instant large capital loss on a property purchase. Same goes for expensive motor vehicles, sponsoring another Thai citizen, and day to day spending. I'll be making 2024 very frugal until there is clarification. Then will make decision to either stay or sell everything I have here and move to a tax-friendly country for retirees. Plenty of Thais relying on expats for income support who now won't be receiving it. Those electing to retire this year in Thailand may want to reconsider or hold off. The 800,000 THB single deposit or the 65,000 THB monthly remittance to qualify for a retirement visa both now seem to be taxable (depending on source of funds). Don't sell your house overseas and consider remitting those funds to Thailand. You could be in for a massive tax bill.

Thailand adopted Common Reporting Standards in September 2023, joining the several other countries already registered. Meaning exchange of all transaction data. So bank to bank transfers, bank to money exchange to bank transfers, etc. It appears Thailand revenue department will technically be able to now audit your transaction records from source country/ies for remittances sent to Thailand and your home country will be obligated to provide data. The trail will indicate the sources of each transaction.

From my interpretation you will be taxed in the state you are a resident of. For tax purposes, Thailand deem you a resident of Thailand as over 180 days staying in Thailand in a calendar year. If you haven't been taxed in source country above your determined Thai tax bracket, then it appears you will be subject to being taxed for your pension. There are some possible deductions that reduce tax liability for certain individuals.

She exclaims how unsafe Russia is because of her luggage theft. I had several things stolen from my luggage that I discovered when collecting it from baggage carousel in Bangkok. Is Thailand now therefore dangerous??? The level of indifference and disinterest reporting theft incidents would be on par as well for both countries. At least in Thailand you won't fall out of a window like in Russia ..... oh .. wait.

I am guessing that this lady when alive was very head-strong!!

This is potentially the beginning of the end for many decent elderly expats living here unfortunately. So many uncertainties as well, making me personally hold off on any large purchase decisions and my long term stay plans here are now unknown. Example #1: A person wishing to retire in Thailand is required to deposit 800,000 THB into a Thai Bank. Will that deposit be taxable? Therefore meaning it will be taxed at 15% - 20%? Example #2: A person wishing to retire in Thailand opts for 65k per month income proof to satisfy retirement visa requirement (non-o visa). Will that be taxable? Seems so. That is 780,000 per annum. Take off first 150,000 baht as tax exempt. Seems it means 15% tax? That's 94,500 Baht per year tax after deduction. Or is the tax incremental on each allocated amount 0-150,000 tax free, 150,001-300,000 5% tax, 300,001-500,000 10% tax, 500,001-750,000 15% tax, 750,001-1000,000 baht 20% tax? Regardless, it's still a big chunk. Example #3: I sell my property overseas. I make only a bit of capital gains (profit). I decide to purchase a condo property in Thailand. Let's say 5000,000 Baht, of which will vadt majority will come from non-profit proceeds of property sale overseas. According to the tax scale, I could be liable to up to 30% tax. Who in their right mind would buy a property if you immediately get a 30% capital loss on the investment due to a hefty tax? You would have to have to be insane! Will there be a tax exclusion allowed for property purchases? Otherwise I envisage a property market downturn. Example #4: I have decided to purchase a new car in Thailand. Price at 1000,000 Baht. Will need to transfer funds from overseas from a savings account. Most savings untaxed (except for interest earned). Let's say I am already bringing in 65k a month to live off. Suddenly, this extra 1000,000 baht remittance into Thailand for a vehicle purchase will push my overall income into 20-25% tax bracket. Another huge capital loss on a new vehicle purchase, which devalue enough anyway when you drive it off the car yard. Who will want to suffer a year of increased overall tax plus a hit on the vehicle purchase, making it exceedingly and ridiculously expensive? Madness! Will there be any exemption for one-off purchases of high-ticket purchases? Otherwise forget buying anything in Thailand. Example #5: In Australia I have self-contributed into my own private Superannuation fund and now drawing a pension. Private Super funds are not taxed (government pensions seem to be and therefore exempted). Under the dual tax treaty with Thailand it indicates that Thailand will therefore be able to tax my pension. My contributions into Super have come from a myriad of investment sources from several years of accumulation - dividends, capital gains, rental income, compensation lumpsum from work injury permanent disability, bank interest, other investment interest. The contributions have been both concessional (taxed at 15%) as well as non-concessional contributions. The money sources deposited into Super were assessed by the Australian taxation office and any tax owing was paid/deducted. Will I be able to argue my pension funds came from taxed income sources deposited into Super? Or will I get re-taxed by Thailand when my pension funds come into my Thai bank account? Example #6: My income sources come from rent, dividends, small pension, share and property fund distributions. In Australia our tax year ends 30 June. Thailand tax year ends 31 Dec. In Australia we can lodge our tax returns up to cut-off date of 15 May the following year (electronically via an accountant), and this is often done to delay a tax liability. Regardless, receiving all tax documents to lodge tax return take up to around November each year. Effectively, it means income derived from investments is remitted into Thailand as 'pre-taxed' funds. It is only much later that that income is assessed and taxed. As the tax years for both Australia and Thailand don't coincide, it means if I lodge a return in Thailand for funds deposited into Thailand, I cannot declare tax has already been paid. I don't pay PAYG tax either. ATO stated I did not need to. If I am therefore taxed on all my incoming funds into Thailand, can I then later on (up to 17 months later due to tax lodgement date differences) apply for a retrospective tax credit? Or is this a case of "bad luck. Cannot"? If I cop a hefty upfront tax bill with potential to claim back a portion later on, it means I will lose on interest I could have earned in Oz. Will it mean I need to sequester away money to be transferred into Thailand only after it has been tax assessed in Australia? That will mean around 17 months of waiting to use those funds if that is the case. Example #7: I have a tax liability in Thailand after being assessed by revenue department. But I will need to transfer funds in from overseas to pay it. Will the funds to pay for the tax be taxed??? Example #8: I receive an inheritance in my home country. Will my incoming funds into Thailand be taxed? There is currently no inheritance tax in Australia (the bas***d government probably will change that one day). Example #9: I win a lottery prize. Not taxed in Australia, is taxed in other countries like USA. I assume funds into Thailand from prize money will be tax assessed. ********************** I am sure there's plenty of other examples that need clarification. As it stands, I will not be purchasing any property, vehicles or any other big-ticket items. 2024 I will spend frugally and now reassessing whether Thailand is worth living as a retiree looking for an affordable, low-income friendly destination. Plenty of ladies will miss out on sponsor money, plenty of street level businesses relying on expat communities will probably be collateral damage from less spending. All up, a conservative year for those wanting to avoid potential hefty tax bills. The Hi-So farangs could also see 30-35% tax on their living costs.

"The coffee shop is seen as targeting customers with high purchasing power, as a cup of coffee offered by the shop is well above the minimum wage of 302 to 316 baht." As another poster has revealed, the coffees sit around 150 baht. So, a bit of poor reporting here from The Thaiger. Proof reading and fact checking needed from the editor. Nonetheless, 150 baht for a coffee is what is charged in a cafe in Oz these days and one reason why I am in Thailand, to avoid hefty prices. My local Cafe does barista quality coffee with a very decent coffee bean for 50 baht for a cappucino in a mug. Iced coffees 55 baht. Very decent price and IMO better than Starbucks. Sure, there are die-hard Starbucks fans who swear by it, but not for me. Amazon is an alternative that is half decent and much cheaper than Starbucks.

"This incident sparked concern among residents and tourists alike, highlighting the need for increased security measures and stricter regulations for foreign visitors, particularly during the high-tourism season." It is these type of criminal scumbags that potentially ruin it for the rest of us including retirees with harsher, punitive style measures that could also cost us all more. There is a 'non-snitching' culture promoted amongst many underclass, criminal elements, and others thinking it's ok for bad people to operate their illegal businesses and to just turn a blind eye. Then people becoming hesitant to report over fear of being labeled a 'snitch'. Personally, any scum carrying a firearm with loaded ammunition in public needs to be reported, arrested, imprisoned and deported being permanently black listed. And any other piece of garbage criminal who also risks the reputation (through stereotyping and generalizations) of foreigners. The bikie OMCG arrests recently has potentially already caused harsher measures for all living here.

Riding along Jomtien recently when an a$$h**e on a big sports bike undertook me at high speed and very close. Caught up at the traffic lights ahead. A helmet-less farang tosser beating his head up and down flexing his upper body. Typical tough tatts and thinking he was some sort of hero. He was watching me in his mirror as I mumbled "w***er" towards him shaking my head. Lights green and of course to display his prowess and perceived superiority and arrogance, did the token multiple high revs with loud exhaust, taking off to beat everyone off the lights. Is it wrong I was hoping he'd come off at speed? 😉. Problem is there are so many of these absolute idiots everywhere here - Thais and farangs. No surprise there are so many deaths. Big bike riders with pea-brained morons.

Even if there was a fight by the patrons, security staff, if professional should be trained to defend in appropriate measures, restrain, detain and either report to police or eject them from the premises. Having cameras not working as well is a red flag for a rogue club. Any professional club will ensure they are always operating and recording by frequent maintenance and checks. Total BS 'out clause' to use the faulty camera excuse often used.

Totally unprofessional typical mismanaged rogue-type nightclub operation. Hiring of thug security staff that think they have carte blanche right to assault patrons. The extent of injuries to the hospitalized male is obviously excessive. Perhaps a strike to the back of the neck and head by a punch, elbow, knee or foot stomp. Cowardly and criminal. Security guards who think they are above the law. I've seen some absolute wa****s wearing their 'SECURITY' uniforms feeling so powerful and displaying passive aggressive mannerisms. Attack in packs to get their cheap thrills to hurt others for fun and release their aggression. Definitely this is a deadbeat club to avoid.

To be fair, did you get general consensus from the rest of the passengers or did you decide you knew how everyone on the coach felt cold like you? I've been in minivans before where I am boiling hot and needing aircon, but some selfish person decides that it's not for them, turns it right down and the rest of us suffered causing a scene eventually.

Sad consequences of COVID. Debt. Poor family with basic fiscal management abilities. Wonder where the parents are whom the grandparents now support? Thai mafia loan sharks, that charge extreme interest on top. Sad story. Poor man to sacrifice his life to save his wife and grandkids from potential harm and destitution. This is harsh poor living reality in Thailand.

Could have been a hiso farang who considered it a visual blemish to his afternoon stroll and took immediate offence. Calling Tourist Police with haste!

"No signs of panic or PTSD" as reported in Thaiger! Hmm. Who made that diagnosis?? PTSD can present itself as accute, accumulative, and/or chronic and complex. It can easily be undiagnosed. Frontline workers often conceal their symptoms for many reasons (cultural, saving face, expected in their job to confront danger and traumatic incidents, fear of losing job, etc) or not even realise they have it until much later.