twix38

LOL

Who the hell is defending a pedophile!?

I was addressing what would be the news topic now if it wasn't totally (and rightly) overshadowed by the pedo issue.

I don't disagree with the consensus view on the Ozzie guy.

It's not a crusade against the Thai lady. I have given my reasons and they are reason enough. Nobody has yet addressed them because they are inexcusable, contradictory and self-serving.

He's a pedo. She's a liar. Of course she wins out in any contest on morals or whatever, but that still makes her no Saint. That was after all the whole point of my posting - i.e. to point out she isn't blameless, honest or a Saint. I think we all know well enough about the headlines on the pedo aspect, but it's clear people still view the Thai lady as a Saint. Not me!

Without the pedo issue, you'd all be saying how terrible it was that a loving ozzie couple who wanted to take Gammy were stopped and branded liars by a Thai lady who now admits she was the liar. Still, because he's a pedo and everything is relative, no other issue matters. lmao

chooka and Starkey,

I was not and am not judging who should have whom etc. I am just making a point about Sainthood! 

Ignore the Ozzie angle completely as I am not addressing it. I am addressing the label of 'Saint' given to the Thai lady - ONLY! Absolutely undeserved and laughable imho.

It's reported and the Thai lady herself states NOW that she refused to let the biological parents take Gabby, supposedly because she was worried Gabby would be put in a home. On what basis and who made her judge and jury when done through a surrogacy agency and she decided and acted before any of this pedo news was even known. Even worse as the main point is that previously she was saying a completely different and contradictory story about this very issue, in that the ozzie couple abandoned Gabby due to being diagnosed with DS. There's other evidence like going to a Hospital of her choice and not a recommended one in the contract agreement that really call into question her sincerity etc.

Can you guys stop answering my criticism of the Thai Liar by always quoting the ozzie's are worse or what's my remedy. I am just making the point that the Thai lady may be closer to a lying, deceiptful, moneygrabbing, publicity seeking OPPORTUNIST. She is imv certainly a liar and by her own late and forced admission, that infact far from her original story it transpires SHE refused to let Gammy go on grounds she decided were hers to make future assumptions on and then impose.

There's no good in any of it, but I was addressing the now laughable 'Saint' label if anyone wants to stay on topic in response and address my facts/statement rather than go off on tangents or pedo rants.

You could always agree she's no Saint of course, as that's all I know ;-)

That man could also have been any surrogate parent who was treated to hell prior and irrespective of his criminal record coming to light subsequently. However, I am not discussing the ozzie couple as clearly they are being villified already and quite possibly legitimately. My focus is on the Saint (Thai Lady) and pointing out that is far from the truth!

If all had been fine with ozzie couple (as it well could have been and is with most surrogate parents) and as Thai lady knew of no detrimental/criminal details at the time of her refusal to hand over Gammy, then it is an outrage that she then lied, stating the parents refused to take their DS baby and only took the healthy one, but rather she withheld Gammy from biological parent(s) on her own guess that they may put Gammy into a home or not look after. If the guy had no criminal record at all, her actions would have been the same as they were done before knowledge of these details. To have been given a label of Saint is the biggest joke going and that is my point!!! I am NOT making comment on the ozzies, but the Thai lady has now admitted her lie and I am and chose to comment on that specific if you don't mind ;-)     

Much talk of the suitablity of the Ozzie parents and much doubt.

What of the lying Thai.

She first stated that the ozzie parents abandoned Gammy and when this was refuted by the Ozzie's, it now appears the Thai lady has admitted it was her who refused to allow Gammy to leave!

She has admitted this only now and that is disgraceful and deceitful as until then her core accusation WAS that they abondoned their DS baby. Now we know she has admitted she was worried they would put Gammy in a home and so she refused to give Gammy up and this all happened before any knowledge of his criminal record was even known, so no excuse on that count. Believe she also took it upon herself to go to a Hospital that had not been agreed upon/in contract terms. I wouldn't trust the Thai lady further than I could throw an Elephant! 

As the Eagles song says.... 'you can't hide you(r) lying thais'

Saint? Most certainly not!!

Can you point out Thailand is being left behind by other countries whose immigration attracts tourists and ex-pats via visa and property rights, such as Malaysia and Philippines. The lifestyle and safety is what keeps Thailand in the running - certainly not the other two issues.

Can ex-pat retirees skip 90 day reporting after 3 yrs to just then be the annual retirement visa renewal process?

At least change the 90 days to 120 days.

What's the NEED for a re-entry permit in terms of Immigration? 

O/T Why when buying a home and being unable to buy the land, but where the foreigner has paid the full price and is married to a Thai, can't the rules have a clause that either party can force a sale upon divorce with proceeds split 50/50 by law. Imperfect, but it would remove so much temptation AND make the outcome on relationship failure less one sided as due to the current practices typically the Thai is sole owner, by request, of the property that the foreigner was often sole buyer of.

I view the current situation and lack of any appropriate measures such as this, or zoning in tourist areas up to a maximum land size for foreign ownership, as a temptation too far that could be viewed as selective state condoned wealth transfer when nothing is in mitigation to some horror stories year in, year out and when compared to other Asian countries as mentioned. 

that may well be an option for Aussie authorities too and separately.

if her story is correct, I would sue her for being employed to do a job  - surrogate - and then deciding what to do against parents reasonable request in the DS circumstances, but taking the money and going all out to publicise and castigate.

If her story is a lie, then sue her double.

What a surprise that this Saint is all about the money! Worst mistake of the ozzie's lives.

it's amazing that some can't see anything other than sainthood.

There's some scum out there for sure and it's a thick scum.

Did it for money and brought a nightmare to the ozzie's door by insisting not only to bring a DS baby into the world when they had the right to ask to be aborted as a surrogate and in the circumstances and did so. The Thai lady surely has to take responsibility if she insists on giving birth knowing what the situation is. Responsibility goes with decisions made, and action taken. She took on the responsibility. 

Just now reported that the Ozzie dad said they were never told of the DS baby and simply did not know, which directly contradicts the Thai ladies story in so many aspects. Ooops, you bet I expect this will play out much better for the ozzies when the truth is known.

it's amazing that some can't see anything other than sainthood.

There's some scum out there for sure and it's a thick scum.

Did it for money and brought a nightmare to the ozzie's door by insisting not only to bring a DS baby into the world when they had the right to ask to be aborted as a surrogate and in the circumstances and did so. The Thai lady surely has to take responsibility if she insists on giving birth knowing what the situation is. Responsibility goes with decisions made, and action taken. She took on the responsibility. 

This changes the discussion as just now reported that the Ozzie dad said they were never told of the DS baby and simply did not know, which directly contradicts the Thai ladies story. You bet I expect this will play out much better for the ozzies when the truth is known.

actually I do have some Thai food for dinner (items were not listed other than 'does vary' and did include rice in the list). I do include rice with...chicken sweet and sour, occasional fish dish, chicken & cashewnuts and chicken fried rice. Nothing spicy and certainly true that it is mostly a Western diet.

Gained a good action plan to amend the current diet by reducing carbs a bit, cut down on sweet items, add multivitamin daily supplement, increase beans and pulses frequency, will help address cholesterol and get checked with HDL/LDL readings.

Thanks - with special thanks to Techboy - a Diamond!! lol

btw, i'd expected a reply from moderator, giving advice in health section, who is knowledgeable and has a health/medical background afaik. Otherwise thanks for all the advice and suggestions.

A1 Str8,

well, I mentioned "I am not fat, a modest middle aged spread and I excersise most days", so I do the excersice already - basically 5 days a week of 1 hour+ in gym - bike and bit of weights.

good diet, but eat like a bird??

Thanks for responses.

A varied lot, from just eat half the cake and fine, to leave off/cut out half the menu or even exceptional! lol

Do I get enough Iron for instance, as anemia was one thing I had in the back of my mind as storing up trouble for later, along with the questions asked. Also I assume my diet is too fatty with the full fat Milk, chocolate, cake and dairy. I do have high cholesterol, but not terribly high at 6.3mmol/l and frankly I am ignoring it.

Guess my diet is not as bad as I feared, but it does seem stuck in a narrow rut when it's a diet-for-life and this was my concern, though not quite to arjunadawn's level ;-)

Thanks for advice/comments

I have got to wondering if my diet gives me all I need in terms of vitamins, minerals, fibre, etc. Basically can I live healthily on this diet?

Breakfast:

2 Weetabix, Milk (Blue top standard)

Banana.

Occasionally swapped for oats, milk and 2 half peaches for about 4 days each quarter.

Lunch:

Rotates around..........

ready meal - of pasta (and chicken, ham or tuna)

ready meal - Egg Flan and beans and garlic

Tinned Macrael, sunflower seeds, Flax seeds.

2 hard boiled eggs

(All above with 2 rounds of toast daily and Olivio spread/butter)

once a week...........

Subway - tuna and salad sandwich, crisps, coke

Small size English breakfast (scrambled eggs, bacon, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, fried potatoes & toast)

The above lunch choices rarely if ever change and so I have one of the above week in and week out.

Evening Dinner:

Does vary, but nearly always includes chicken or Tuna as the backbone of the meat option.

I try to eat veg with most meals, but again don't vary much from a selection of some of these - rice, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, onion, green beans.

Daily: one medium sized chocolate cake and 1 bar of chocolate(snicker/kit-kat)

Also 5 strawberries, 1 banana and yogurt.

Drink Mineral water. Aura or Minere

Apart from small variencies such as a kiwi here and there, peanuts, occasional mixed pulses introduced maybe once a quarter and put up with as I think they are good for me, there isn't much change to this menu.

I am wondering a few things about this diet.........

Am I missing or low on an important area - nutrient, vitamin, mineral etc. in other words is my diet likely to make me deficient in something in the long run?

I eat Red meat probably no more than once every 3 or 4 months.

Is focusing my diet so heavily in terms of the meat part, on Chicken and Tuna a bad idea?

I am not fat, a modest middle aged spread and I excersise most days - 170cm and 62kg. It does cross my mind if I may have the tofi issue (thin outside, fat inside) i.e. vital organs surrounded with excess internal fat.

Overall, I have been thinking for some time that my diet is a bit limited and that I base my meals almost entirely on Chicken or Tuna, though I do like my diet and am otherwise perfectly happy with it.

Here is my understanding.

originally you needed 40 years to qualify

That was changed to 30 years as described.

New proposals which I think should come into effect in 2016 as they are not yet law will change it to 35 years.

It is about to change to 35 years to qualify for a full pension unfortunately. I have 30 years and so with the change I will need to buy 5 years when I previously had full pension entitlement. The basic pension amount is being increased, although if you were contracted out they failed to make clear that you would not get the full pension even with full qualifying years because you would not have paid the full N.I. contribution rate AND they are about to raise from 30 years to 35 years.

would you buy the love of your life a house in your home country (particularly if it had to be in her name only)?

Forget the differences here when answering. Obviously NO!!

Anyone who came to me and said "Buy me a house" and was pushing for it would get told where to go before they told me where to go and live afterwards. Thai ladies will lie to your face and show you so much love and attention that it fools many, but deep down some actions rather than the words will have you unsettled at motives and you know it! Ignore what they say and interpret the actions. Lying to your face is a way of Thai life and it is not viewed as badly as we view it. It's just part of normal life and saving face or worse if scamming.

My advice, sit down and discuss rationally with safeguard and best buy the condo in your name or come to some arrangement that doesn't allow for her to take the house off you whenever she wants to or at least mitigates the loss were it to happen, as has been suggested.

I also have a personal horror story from the Bumrungrad.

about 8 years ago I went there with difficulty swallowing and have acid reflux.

I am tempted to name the doctor,but will not. Anyway, he did an endoscopy - rushed and tried twice before getting it right - found nothing and gave me tablets to take. I asked if I needed any more checks or anything and he said no, jst take the tablets and all was ok. He was rushing me out and I didn't ask what the tablets were for but he told me I had something like bolus and the tablets would do the job.

On getting home I googled to find they were for anxiety and that Bolus was more a feeling than an actual problem.

I threw the tablets away in disgust and luckily I was due to fly back to UK a month later.

In UK I went to doctor who referred me for a Gastroscopy where I was diagnosed with Barratt's Epithelium and status of Low Grade Dysplasia.

Basically a pre-cancerous condition that needs regular daily PPI medication and check-ups/survalence with major intervention if it gets any worse before getting throat cancer.

I was livid at the treatment from Bumrungrad, telling me I did not need further treatment or any further tests and fobbing me off. It felt like they were rushed and playing the averages regarding further investigation, as likely 999 out of 1,000 don't have Barratts. I did!!!!!

Frankly after further general experience with Thai Hospitals I feel it can be hit or miss and depends on the Doctor. However, many Hospitals allow the cost factor i.e. income to dictate and there is little to no accountability that means anything when things go wrong. I chose to return to UK for anything that isn't an emergency or of minor importance. You just cannot rely on the quality and expertise being good enough with an ethos of patient care above money. Mostly it's ok, but when it isn't that could be catastrophic.

Not read every post here, but fwiw here's my input

1. It may be doable but you are mortgaging your future for the present due to unforseen costs and sundries, but mainly due to future inflation.

2. You state you have a property in UK that you will keep. Then rent it out before you relocate here and live a life not just an existence.

3. Learn to ride a motorbike here. Take it slow and it will be liberating.

4. Stay in UK for at least another year first to improve the finances and budget and leave a year less to have to fund until your pension.

5. Your pension isn't much especially as you expect your funds to last less than the 9 years required. You are going to struggle once retired and by then options are too late - i.e. working etc

6. It's doable, but why would you jump so soon when a year or two more savings and reducing the period you must fund for, would improve things immeasurably. At least rent out your UK house for an income - then the figures may look fine. Bottom line is there's not much leeway and inflation is going to hit you very hard in later life even including pension, on the numbers you state.

7. Actually I am in Thailand and living on a similar budget and have been for this last 18 months. Me and the wife- no kids. Obviously other differences, but similar overall. I am going back to UK in Spring to look for a job, as I don't consider this living. It's just marking time and economising. I'd rather earn a better future when that's the 'rest of life plan' and then come back.

8. working here re TEFL is long hours, possibly 6 days a week and little pay or shorter hours and very little pay compared to jobs available in UK. I prefer to work in UK myself if I need to work. Much better opportunity, pay and conditions as an employee unless you fall on your feet here.

I am flying from Don Mueang to Puket and wonder if I must take my UK passport for this internal flight or if I need nothing oir if my Thai driving license would be all I need to have with me?

"I find it amazing that a man will buy a woman a house in a foreign country. Would you buy a house for a woman in your home country after such a short period of time? Or a long period of time for that matter. "

No, and none of us would because she could buy it herself and life is equal. Here the dependency and disproportion in wealth means the Falang will pay (obviously). That's our choice if we want to buy a house, but here we cannot own it (the land) and so that is the reason why so many of us fall for this rip off by Thai ladies. If we buy we must put it in a company name (technically illegal) or give it to the Thai wife/girlfriend.

In effect this is a Government sponsored scam. How can it be called anything different when most people's single biggest financial outlay is placed directly in a poorer spouses legal ownership and a temptation just too great for many.

I call it a Government approved and sponsored temptation to transfer ownership from foreigner to Thai.

If they wanted to make things fair there are other options like a few zoned tourist areas where foreigners could own houses in their own name up to a maximum size etc. Having the only legal option as paying the money with ownership to a Thai, is just asking for the temptation to steal and that is why it happens so often.

The Thai's don't mind. The Thai Gov't doesn't mind. Not really, it's a transfer of wealth scheme and just depends, for those willing to do it, if they want to play the long game or the short game or just see how it goes.

Heck, if I had the same situation reversed to set me up for life and all I had to do was take the money and run, I may be tempted too. The Thai Government should be called out on this "Scam to Tempt" to find a better and fairer way to run the real estate ground rules of this country.

Thanks very much for help and info

every decade is standard and aware of that. That's for a booster though?

That's why I wanted to know the difference between the booster and the Tetanus Texoid 0.5cc first jab of three I have now had, if any - or is the booster just the name given to a single shot anyway?

btw, I was saying I was told 5 jabs or Tetanus courses/boosters given already over time gave lifetime cover, not one.

Thanks for replies and I will leave it at the one only I have already had, but there is still a small question as to why the clinic would look to give me the course of 3 jabs even after I have told them the same as stated here, but one is enough. Curious ;-)

Approx. 4 months ago whilst in UK I checked regarding my vaccinations and for Tetanus I was told something like my last one (which I assume would have been a booster) was about 8 or 9 years ago, but as I had a total of I think 5 in my lifetime then it was now assumed I pretty much would have lifetime protection.

First question. Is this lifetime protection correct and current best practice?

Two days ago whilst here in Thailand I knocked over a glass water jug and it made rather a nasty cut in my big toe that I needed to go to get stitched. I went to a local Clinic. Whilst there they asked about Tetanus and I told them my last one was about 8 years ago. They told me to have one now and so I did - my arm is now rather sore.

I was given the first of 3 injections (Tetanus Toxoid 0.5cc IM), with 2nd one due in a month's time and then 3rd one 5 months after that.

What I would like to know is.......

Is it right/good idea to be having a full set of 3 injections when I assumed if I needed anything it would be a booster?

Do I infact need any if I may have lifetime cover or better to be safe than sorry?

Can I treat this first injection as equivalent to a booster and leave it at that?

What is the difference between the booster I would get in UK and the start of a 3 vaccination course, as I am now on?

I am not totally relaxed about having a full course of 3 and what else they may contain - mercury etc - and if I can SAFELY do so, with an eye on the best all round practice to now adopt for future cover, I would rather leave it at the one I have already had?

Finally, I am also on a 5 day course of 3 a day of Amoxicillin+Clavulanic acid 625mg which I assume I need? and must fully complete?