Lacessit

My GF sometimes asks to "borrow" 500 baht. We look at each other and both laugh, because we  know the end result.

I've loaned small amounts to several people at the condo, most of whom repaid. The only one that didn't knows better than to ask again.

I don't trust anyone sufficiently to loan large amounts of money. As another poster has said, it ruins friendships.

No way I would let one of the bloody things near me. They bite and scratch, and are a perfect rabies carrier.

12 minutes ago, marko kok prong said:

Exactly,i have been requested to pick the girl up from school on several occasions in the wet season,i refuse to do so unless my wife is with me,the girl is very nice to me never really having a proper Dad,i gave her 500 baht and a big Teddy bear for her birthday,in full view of the rest of the family best to be safe.

We really are influenced by the customs of our home countries.

Picture this: My GF's grandaughter ( age 13 ) swanned off with a similar age girlfriend from Big C across the highway in Chiang Rai to Central Festival. Gone for 3 hours, regarded as normal by my GF.

That scenario would be almost unthinkable in Australia.

30 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Introducing a "trap" subject which can't be answered to the satisfaction of anyone, depending on which side of the equation one is on, is not welcome in a thread in which it is completely off topic and contributes nothing to the actual subject of the discussion.

Need I point out that none of the threads are about us as individuals, no matter how much some would try to make it so.

I am suitably reproved. I would point out, however, that I was not the one who started casting aspersions.

29 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

????????????????

As we get older we all pick up emotional and physical baggage. It's inevitable as a part of living.

I would have thought that was self evident.

Normally, I would agree with you. However, I've noticed Thais live in the moment - they don't seem to accumulate emotional baggage the way Westerners do. As far as physical baggage goes, Thai women for the most part age a lot better than their Western counterparts.

Just now, ZL1DD said:

My condo management does not want to know about TM30. Chiangmai immigration insists you have one and will issue one for you. You must remember to renew it on return if you leave the country. Otherwise they fine you ? 1600 baht next time you visit immigration.

The responsibility for the TM30 is a very grey area. Chiang Mai Immigration sticks to the rules dictated by Bangkok, while Bangkok ignores the same rules. TIT.

TM 30's are simply not required in Bangkok. Can you imagine the warehouses stuffed full of paper if they were?

11 hours ago, StevieAus said:

Unfortunately you are missing the point they are not required to check on whether the contents of the stat dec are truthful just as a person certifying in Australia isn’t required.

Early last year the Thai Immigration ask them to check it lasted about a week and they were overruled by Canberra

I don’t disagree with your point as I don’t rort the system but many do as an example there is a person who advertises on this site offering to obtain the retirement extension without funds

Also there are things that go on within the Immigration system that are not right.

Quite frankly I wouldn’t worry about it because it will change nothing

I comply with the law in all areas and sleep ok at night suggest you do the same

Perhaps I have missed the point. However, I'm wondering why dire penalties are threatened if no one in officialdom is willing to actually check the contents.

I understand the fee for depositing funds for retirement extensions on behalf of an impecunious retiree is in the vicinity of 30,000 baht. That's an annualised interest rate north of 20% - nice work if you can get it. It does explain why many do the income letter instead.

Like you, I comply with the law. IMHO that's preferable to wondering when the other shoe is going to drop.

1 hour ago, smotherb said:

Of course the older the woman is, the more likely baggage is associated.

Eh? You have anecdotal or statistical evidence of this assertion?

On 3/12/2018 at 5:18 AM, sead said:

One of the biggest misstakes i ever made was not asking the dealers Mb and Bmw about who paid for the service etc. I leased an Mb 180Ngt but could have had an Bmw 330 for same price. Bmw payed all Service but Mb i had to pay. Add up about 100 euro per month :)

 

Ah, Mercedes Benz. Here they are prestige cars. In Europe, they're taxis.

My experience is reversed - my 51 yo Thai GF looks about 35.

9 minutes ago, Stevemercer said:

 

 

My mother-in-law always tells me I have to beat my wife (her daughter) if she gets slack or won't do what I say. She keeps giving me old broom sticks for this purpose.

She must be a frequent flier

1 minute ago, StevieAus said:

Not sure how you reach the conclusion  that the Aus Authorities don't care

A Stat Dec is exactly that even in Aus the person certifying the signature is not required to obtain proof from the person making the declaration that the content of the document is

factual

I would have thought that the onus is on the Thai Immigration to require the person seeking for example the retirement extension to provide proof of the income

They do not however and are happy to accept a document signed by the embassy

I take my bank statements every year and they are not interested

We all know the system is corrupt and they obviously don't want it tightened up for obvious reasons 

Well, if the people doing the consular outreach visits cared about the truth of the Stat Dec, they would ask for proof, wouldn't they? And refuse certification if it was not provided.

I've done the same - taken the previous year's tax return. Neither the consular officials nor Thai Immigration were remotely interested in seeing proof.

I suspect the OP is only inquiring on the subject because the GF has asked him to marry her. IMHO he should provide for her as necessary, keep control of the purse strings, and not get married. Thai women crave security, for which I can't blame them. However, marry and there is a high risk of being thought of as an ATM by both the wife and the son.

Tatchilek across the border from Mae Sai is OK if you like being surrounded by touts offering cheap whisky, cigarettes, Viagra and girls. The problem is in knowing which of the offers are genuine merchandise.

18 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Women count on men not hitting them to abuse them with impunity. If my wife had thought for a minute that I'd respond with a slap to her abuse she'd have kept her mouth shut most of the time.

It's pretty bad when a guy has to leave the house for an hour to cool down because if he stayed he'd be getting into serious...........................

I agree it can be extremely frustrating. Having said that, I don't think I ever said you are prohibited from returning serve on the verbal abuse.

I don't know how you can be so sure that physical retaliation would have shut your wife up. IMHO it's equally possible she could take out a restraining order against you - they even have them in Thailand.

3 hours ago, curtklay said:

Slap her across the face. She won't be silent for long.

Any man who hits a woman is a moral coward.

I just comply with their requests to stop and show licence etc. In the car, I wind the window down before I reach a checkpoint. I've been fined twice justifiably without paperwork, and once unjustifiably with paperwork because I refused to pay on the spot. The police may be more predatory in the Bangkok area; however, I can't say they have been too much bother in the Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai area.

I was married to one of those many years ago. If I knew then what I now know, the first time she tried it on I would have told her to &&&& off.

I did a defensive driving course decades ago in Australia. It has been very useful since I came to Thailand. However, I don't think the instructors in Oz could possibly have imagined all the scenarios that unfold here on a daily basis.

4 hours ago, fulhamboy said:

We used ARS ANT KILLER in the kitchen, easy to use safe and clean,

available from Tesco lotus. 

 

It's the most effective I have seen here.

They are useless. There's no point in cooling air by a few degrees when the relative humidity is boosted to 100%. A person's comfort level remains unchanged. Evaporative coolers only work in regions where the ambient RH is 30% or less. Such as deserts.

If your landlord won't provide full aircon in what you are renting, change your landlord.

On 3/13/2018 at 2:08 PM, gamesgplayemail said:

 

25k not enough ? They are just greedy sobs....

 

 

Can you survive here on 25K per month? Doubt if I could.

On 3/13/2018 at 7:49 PM, StevieAus said:

I’m sure your comment was meant to be tongue in cheek but for the record the Australian Embassy are only certifying the signature on the statutory declaration that one signs attesting to the income received.

No proof is required by the Embassy which I understand is common with other Countries that provide this service certainly the US.

The penalties for making a false statutory declaration in Australia are quite severe, including jail time. However, it would appear  Australian authorities don't care if a false one is submitted in any other country - only if it is made to an Australian instrumentality.