Tofer

It's not now calculated against how much you paid, it's simply the number of years you contributed. Now the pension is called a basic pension, i.e. levelled for everyone, so any serps you may have earned from an above average earned income have been discounted entirely, much to my annoyance.

You're obviously not reading, or comprehending the comments. It's not a benefit, it's a contracted National Insurance contributory scheme.

You can complete the digital application, wherever you're resident, provided they have sent you the access code to your account for registration.

That's not an investment, it's gambling on a pyramid scheme.

To be deemed normally resident, you have to live there 6 months of the year. However, before I departed, I looked into the benefits of becoming non-resident, in particular respect to CGT avoidance, from the potential sale of my properties in UK, in the days before that loophole was sidelined. I found that if you have any item of clothing held in any UK property, be it your own or someone elses, and you visit that property and stay overnight / one night, you are automatically deemed resident for tax purposes. Maybe that's changed now, I've not bothered to check since there's no benefit whatsoever from declaring non-resident.

Fine, if you can live on 4 - 8 pounds a week. Do the calculations and see the futility of your suggestion, considering annuity returns.

Totally agree. When I wrote to the DWP to ask why, they sent a link to the gov. pension rules, aka small print, that had never, prior to the internet, been made readily available to contributors, nor was it ever optional for UK employees and businessmen. When I asked again for justification, guess what?, no reply.

They "injected" their money when paying NI contributions, just like anybody else. It's not about a single increase of 5 pounds a week, you also need to consider the pensioners who have had no increases for decades.

You might also end up with a free extension to stay at the Bangkok Hilton....

I wish I had your crystal balls, to predict the end.....

Do you also worry about about being kicked out every year, when you turn up for your annual visa extension?

But only twice in 10 years....

Less than B18 / day MORE than the standard 1 year multi entry / exit visa extension, and further savings on trips for 90 day reporting. Probably works out cheaper in the long run for people some distance from their nearest Immigration office.

I can hardly see it being cancelled retrospectively, for existing visa holders over the originally agreed term. Go to Malaysia and see what they've done for the MM2H visa, if you think Thailand is bad.

Because you're on a 1 year visa extension and not a premium 10 year long term resident visa. People are complaining there's no point to it, but you've just highlighted one benefit.

Where does it say "max"? You can apply for up to 10 years, presumably per application. It doesn't say you're limited to one application in your lifetime. Depending upon the requirements for certification, I don't see how this is an inferior option to the standard 1 year extension with 90 day reporting, or the Elite visa at a considerably higher price. Assuming it would be multi entry /exit, then it's little more than double the annual visa extension based on retirement or marriage at B10,000 /ann.

Thanks for all the sound advice.

Also a darn sight cheaper. Best prices I found for Michelins are nearly B4,000 the pair, but Pirelli are less than B1,700 for the pair, online at Lazada. Is the difference for the name or the quality?

Thanks. I'm of to Krabi tomorrow, so will check and see what's in stock. I found the Michelins on Lazada, but not sure my local Honda can balance them. When I changed my car tires, the trader could only do a wheel balance at low speed, as their machine wasn't capable of high speed testing.

Having just discovered the tires on my new (6 months old) Honda Forza 350 are total rubbish, wearing unevenly after only 2,000kms, and causing steering shake and distinct lack of confidence, I'm now looking for replacements. I've found a well regarded "Michelin City Grip 2" tire, and wondered if any bikers on here have had them in use to be able to pass comment, and / or have any other brand recommendations.

I do too. I was chased down the Bamboo beach by a cloud / swarm of them in March 2003, and had to jump in the sea to avoid being eaten alive. I agree it is probably seasonal and I heard say some areas of Koh Chang didn't get bothered. It might even have been cleared up since then.

Agree. I was blessed to have camped on Ras Al Had beach in Oman, many years ago, during turtle hatching season. We had the place to ourselves and watched, close up, the mothers laying eggs, and the hatchlings made a beeline to our camp fire, where we collected them in a box and deposited them in the sea, thus avoiding being eaten by foxes.

I never had that problem in Koh Mak, only Koh Chang, where they sold the protective / treatment oil at the hotel check in.

I live on the sea front in Koh Lanta, and that is one of my main gripes - silencers on boats, or more correctly, the absence thereof! I love to see the boats and the way of life, but the noise can sometimes be ear splitting. Considering I have to have my boat inspected and properly labelled, kitted out with life vests, etc. for the annual registration (fund raising), it beggers belief that these long tail fishing boats can get away without silencers. However, as usual, stupidity reigns, since these fishermen are seriously damaging their hearing, and that of their children who tag along when schools out.

You can buy my landscaped land on the sea front in Koh Lanta for that price, Bt.6M/rai for 2.5 rai, providing you buy the villa that sits on it as well. ???? Considering, the second bridge is on it's way, that's cheap....