damascase

From the article: ‘……..the Chiang Rai Provincial Court informed the police that the suspect, who had been on the run, was still within the statute of limitations……’

79 years on this planet, 179 cm, 73 kg, cycling 100-120 km trips a couple of times a week. Heart beating around 45-47 times a minute, in rest. No smoking (never did), an occasional glass of wine or beer, almost no meats but lots of vegetables and a supplementary daily protein drink. I had a heart attack 3 years ago from which I recovered well. Some prostate problems though, as most men my age…… Cycling is a great way to get - and stay - in shape; a lot better for the old joints than running,,,,,,,,,,,

A new airport, just 90 km south of Chiang Rai international airport……….

Being married or not is not the issue. One gets the lower amount for sharing a household with another adult.

Yes, 920€ only. Even if you are not married, but live/share a household together.

The visa exemption is no longer 45, but 30 days.

Very happy with Remitly.com - good rates, 2,99€ fee. Money arrives within minutes. Shown as a domestic transfer in you Thai account, though,

There is no ‘road enforcement’ at all here in TH, as we can all see, and that is not going to change with those new rules. During the (in)famous seven dangerous days around the end of the year the traffic rules would be ‘strictly enforced’, according to governmental announcements in the press. The police’s interpretation of this, as far as I can see, seems to be setting up a roadside tent along main roads, from where passing traffic is observed (as far as eating, drinking and looking at phones allows, of course).. I happened to pass such a checkpoint where they actually stopped some road users, but they waved the two 11-12 year old girls on 2 scooters, needlessly to say without helmets too, in front of me through without hesitation. If strictly enforced, by patrolling roads, I’m sure many people would be found burning all of their points in a single day……..

The RTP isn’t enforcing any sort of traffic rule right now. You can drive like an idiot, on the wrong side of the road, without helmets, using telephones while driving, without driving license, no safety belts etc.: you name it and they don’t enforce it. So what would change after the introduction of this new system? Too many people have no driving license at all, so why would they bother about loosing points that they don’t have….. From what I see daily on Thai roads, quite a lot of people would burn all the points they have in a single day. Riding against traffic on a motorbike, no helmet, while looking af the phone instead of the roads and probably under influence of alcohol or oder ‘enhancers’ is quite a common sight, and that is just one example. Travel on a hilly and winding road and count the number of people overtaking on the wrong side of the double yellow line just before a blind corner or the top of a steep hill, and you’ll be short of fingers to count on within a couple of minutes. No policing, no enforcement, so nothing will change. Very sad!

Thai food, or Thai ‘cuisine’, is heavily overrated in my opinion. In too many cases just a bunch of ingredients thrown in a pan with an amount of chili that turns it into a paint stripper and eradicates any specific taste.

Not a bad idea at all. Worth consideration!

My father-in-law borrowed money from an agency, with the title to his land and house as collateral. To that end he signed a mortgage contract, stating that the interest would be 15% per year (the legal interest limit in Thailand). The contract itself does not contain anything regarding the duration of the loan or the terms of repayment, other than that the interest should be paid monthly. Apparently he was told - outside the contract so he didn’t sign for it - to repay in 36 months, with the total amount to be repaid being the borrowed amount plus 3x the yearly interest. I’m not sure this is legal, as in my view it raises the actual interest above the legal limit, but he didn’t contest this at the time. His financial/legal insight/knowledge is close to zero. Now, at the end of the first year, it appears he is four months behind and he got a letter from a lawyer hired by the agency that the contract is to be canceled . He is given the choice between paying the remaining 28 months in full within 60 days or loose his house and land. It was only at that point that I learned about it. He didn’t really understand the situation he got himself into, he hadn’t understood the consequences of the contract, nor had he read any of it. He had just signed where they told him to sign. I’m looking for ways to help him out of this mess and to avoid him loosing his land and house. One option is that I just pay the demanded amount in full and subsequently arrange for him to repay me over a much longer time and without interest. However, that raises some questions as to the correctness of the sum to be repaid. Seeing that the actual contract doesn’t say anything on duration, or on the terms of repayment or on cancellation/early settlement, it doesn’t seem right to have to pay 3 years interest when settled and fully repaid after one year. Of course there will be a legal default interest for the four missing installments, I do understand that, but it’s the 2x 15% interest I’m having problems with to accept. Anyone out there able to shed their light on this? Grateful for any constructive comments!

Doesn’t TAT know that a Tourist Visa already has a 60 day validity? One can only guess that the current Visa Exemption - now 30 days - is what they really mean……,

30 million, yeah, right. And I target 30 million baht income! Both targets unrealistic……

EVA offers PE in their 777’s inly. Apparently they are using the 787 on the Taipei - Bkk - AMS route,