StayinThailand2much

"YMCA" - I'd rather listen to Phoebe Buffett's songs...

Wonder, who did rat him out...

So, minus the 1.25 million withdrawals, they could have gotten almost 5 million, but seems they needed only 400,000...

Still 3,000 short...

Picking up the easy targets, but leaving the protected ones alone?

I mentioned that I pulled a guy out of the water in Pattaya earlier this year. It took the ambulance more than half an hour to arrive. And their equipment was sub-par compared to other countries. I hope for you, if you need first aid here that it is not life-threatening...

I found a barber shop by accident 23 years ago. Still going there despite the fact that the price of a haircut went up from 60 baht to 150 baht, and the guy who still cuts my hair, years ago cut right into the collar of my shirt...

Thanks. Sounds like either an accident (slipping and falling into the pool) and/or alcohol-related...

I guess, this happened on another day. Sad that no-one saw him at 1 a.m., if this is when he drowned. I personally pulled out a guy a few months ago in one of Pattaya Beach's swimminng areas, who survived, even though he had been at least for 20 min. with the head under water, possibly even much longer, as no-one saw what happened. So, if the guy in the OP had been found earlier, perhaps he could have survived too. 1 a.m., strange time for a swim...

I had the most fun in Pattaya when there was no YouTube yet. That was in the early 2000s. As with anything else, whatever you watch or read online should be taken with a pinch of salt, esp. if it is overly positive...

Some of the food I buy here is between 50% and 100% up in price. But yes, I'm just a foreigner, so who cares... Also, my point was that people who borrow a lot of money from money lenders, or banks, to pay for a new car or smartphone probably have other problems than 3 baht per kilo of rice...

3 baht?? Damn, that will push many, already highly in debt, over the edge...

That's another excellent idea, with Singapore probably a safer place with international banks, and only a short distance away.

And if it proves wrong in retrospect, they will blame it on 'decreased wealth' in the West, moon phases, or the 1883 Krakatoa eruption...

There's the possibility of the Non 'O' Retirement Visa/Extension. (Whether such visa options remain 'friendly' is anyone's guess, but my personal view is that things probably won't change much for the next 8 to ten years.) As for bank accounts, depending on your 'wealth', you might want to check out offshore bank account options (e.g. Channel Islands, Isle of Man, etc.)

Unlikely that Immigration will, but there's a good chance that the airline does. Asking there might be an option.

Many will probably blow the 10,000 baht in a week...

I went to a SCB branch to pay a bill with cash. No-one spoke English, and no-one knew what form to use. They called in the security guard who spoke and understood some English (as, perhaps, he was from Myanmar, or Laos?)... Okay, they figured out what form to use. I filled it out, the branch manager even took my form and cash, and went to another counter. Staff stamped the receipt, counted the change, then branch manager counted the change, staff counted the change again, and the branch manager counted it again, gave me receipt and change with a smile... I counted the change (small amount, less than 40 baht), and it was wrong! Another time I paid a bill at K-Bank, filled out a green form, and got the stamped receipt... A month later I went to another branch, already knowing that I had to fill out the green form. Guess, what? Staff looked at my green form, grabbed a blue form and copied everything onto the blue form! Do bank employees get any job training in Thailand?

I know (from someone who worked at a government office) that bureaucrats here can come up with whatever silly idea they like. Thanks to the 'should not lose face' culture, such ideas and plans may be implemented nonetheless. Perhaps one TAT department boss dreamed of 30 million foreign tourists... Who knows, maybe we will read next week about 40 or 50 million foreign tourists expected in 2023.

They probably thought that a rich foreigner would take the money out of Thailand... Some people never think that we spend it right away in the Thai economy.

Not all bank employees here are competent. I'd have them talk to the head office to clarify things. Otherwise, as others have suggested, I'd just go the government lottery office.

Maybe it's the talked about spaceport...

Many Thais will probably keep wearing masks forever...

The typical made-up reasons. With even domestic tourism below expectations, thanks to a stagnating economy and record household debt, how can the average Thai afford spending even more for holidays abroad? - Probably less about increased costs at destinations, and, most likely, not about tropical storms, as they don't tend to last for entire tourism seasons.

I went to four the past year, and learnt a lot about myself (and other stuff too)...