WalkingOrders

When money is given in Thailand government offices/banks etc, all business that I have been involved with in Thailand, I have always, without exception, received a receipt. In my view if someone told you that no receipt will be given it would send up a red flare in my mind. If it were me I would have simply asked very politely, and without implying any wrong doing, to speak with a supervisor. I then would have asked politely for a receipt for my records. Again, without implying any wrong doing.  As for the amount itself, it seems in line with the service provided.

This is a very sad story. I feel for the girls family. Here in Bangkok something on my mind as of late is that dogs seem to be getting larger and look like mixed breed pits. Wild dogs like this, becoming territorial, and essentially all wild, is going to make stories like this more common. Anyone else notice this phenomenon or is it my imagination?

30 minutes ago, ToS2014 said:

I'm not sure if anyone is still following this thread but I have several followup questions.  First and easiest, BK Bank NY states that I need to provide the address of my Thai BK bank address.  Is this address the main branch in Bangkok or a small branch that I utilize?  There are numerous branches in the Pattaya area and would like to clear that 'first' hurdle.

I provided my local bank but I don't think it matters. Bangkok bank is Bangkok bank in any of their addresses. Out of curiousity why are you dealing with Bangkok bank NY? You use their routing number but never really have to deal directly with them at all. Example my check is direct deposited from Uncle Sam direct to bangkok bank NY route but no need to ever talk to NY. One thing to be aware of - maybe you already know but that if its going direct from US GOV to Bangkok bank its a direct deposit account - no debit card issued, and you have to pick up funds at the counter yourself. You can then deposit them while at the counter into another Bangkok bank account with a debit card attached, but this has to be done at the counter. 

On 12/13/2019 at 6:12 PM, kiteman9 said:

Because the US embassy is no longer doing the notarized affidavit letter to verify my income.

The new method for income is bank statements and cover letter from bank showing deposits from foreign source, and bring updated bankbook of current day.

34 minutes ago, Mahseer said:

Yup no problem and they have bubble wrap. If you want an extra couple of wraps just tell them. Never a problem with dealing with post offices here.

Yeah I gotta say I am a fan of the Thai post. Very impressed with their service. I sent a Mountain bike (a nice one) to Ubon without a box and they really wrapped it up nice. 

Well I know that once my wife had to run down the street to some local place non-affiliated with the Gov and they charged her 3 baht, which is the equivalent of nearly ten cents United States dollars $0.10 is that high? Sounds like a bargain to me.

On 11/28/2019 at 11:45 AM, Pilotman said:

t's only the second time that it has worked for me,

I am 3 times in a row using online method. Working great!

3 hours ago, DannyCarlton said:

Motorsai is the thai way of pronouncing motorcycle. Quite depricating to make fun of their English pronounciation skills. A motorcycle taxi is a "win" in Thai. Motorcycle is "rod cacryan yun".

I think Motorsai constitutes a new word derived from English. Thai don't even use 'rod cacryan yun" when speaking to each other. They use motorsai. 

14 hours ago, farangchuma said:

This is exactly what I wanted when I wrote an open letter to Thailand. The city of Pattya is a joke known for low quality sexpat farangs' heaven for finding a bride thirty years younger to them. It is an adult Disley land for sexpat farangs. The things they can do in Thailand with a crane operator or a high school educated factory worker's  salary in the West, farangs could never do with their entire family's income in the West. I wanted to remind Thailand why farangs come to Thailand. They don't come to Thailand for its temples, food, arts and cultute. They only come for sex. In my open letter to thailand, I challeged Thailand to name another country where farangs have married to more sex workers than Thailand and also challeged Thailand to name a country that has solved its poverty by pimping nations' daughters to farangs in marrage. In coming months, I'm publishing more open letters to Thailand to expose how not to become a heaven for sexpat farangs and a bride mill for older farangs. 

What a load of rubbish. My bride is only 23 years younger!

25 minutes ago, sugarloaf80 said:

Police checks on Sukhumvit Road 3 nights ago at 1am. Every car and taxi with farang stopped.  Body searches.  Plus have to show passport.  No original passport then 5k fine or trip to police station.  I think they were also urine testing.  Who needs this <deleted>. The chap I was just visiting.  He is not coming back.  If Thailand has not become expensive enough nobody needs these disrespectful goons extorting money when one heads out for a beer. The good times have been over for a while and the Thais can enjoy the crash that's coming.

This just sounds horrible to me. I live literally on the last stop of the train in Bangkok. Very few tourists. Only Farang I see are teachers. And it is very very different. When I do go downtown, I am often struck by the difference in people. Out here there is literally no one ever hustling me, or bothering me about anything ever at all.

30 minutes ago, murraynz said:

it would bring huge wealth to the area..but i think the authorites know that thai people are "problem gamblers"...

On that note, I think I read somewhere (someone can correct me if I am wrong) that Cambodians are not allowed in Casinos in their own country?

3 hours ago, hyku1147 said:

Pattaya was the Las Vegas of South East Asia.

Lord almighty, can you imagine if they allowed casino's in Pattaya? Think of the revenue that would bring in.

34 minutes ago, Enoon said:

Any bets that it is mostly Chinese, but they don't want to say so?

Like you, I would love to see a further breakdown of the figures.

32 minutes ago, sirineou said:

the OP is that according to the official statistics the average per turist cost to Thailand is about 12 bht.

12 BHT  IMO enough said. 

I am not sure what the point is here. 12 baht per tourist. Not trying to be argumentative or ignorant but I simply do not understand wht point you are making. OK 12 baht per tourist. It is still money lost by the individual hospital. They can't look at the loss and say well its only 12 baht per tourist can they? There is a total amount of money, and its lost to them. Are you saying that Thailand should charge every tourist at minimum 12 baht and then form a pool of money to pay back any hospital that suffered a loss? I suppose that is doable but that sort of leaves the door open for a whole lot of corruption and greed, that's what happens when there is a big pool of money to be drawn out of - happens in any country. But maybe I am misunderstanding your overall point regarding 12 baht. Again not trying to be argumentative I just do not understand what you mean.

7 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

you do understand hatred and dislike are entirely different words with much different meanings?

Not if you wish a permanent, never to be recovered from, economic downturn on them all. In Disney terms that would be "A curse upon you all" 

24 minutes ago, overherebc said:

If bitten by a stray dog I agree with you. Thailand should pick up the tab for that.

Then they would have to pick up the tab if someone trips over a crack in the sidewalk, an irregular height step, an exposed electrical wire shock, I guess the list could be endless, but as this isn't really a society filled with a million lawyers to plead the case I think it's doubtful. But I rather like living in a society not filled with a million lawyers. 

24 minutes ago, Mango Bob said:

I hope this countries goes into a deep economic slowdown it never comes out of. 

Wow. You don't really like it here in Thailand do you? If I harboured such hatred for the people here I would leave.

29 minutes ago, uncleeagle said:

 

that should be true and very good travel insurance policies cost very little. mine is less than 2000 baht annually and its coverage is far superior to the ones over age 50 non OA visa applicants and extenders now have to buy, but for 25 times the price.

 

so although what you said should be true, when the required insurance has to be bought from government approved thai insurance companies at an obscenely inflated price, the statement becomes patently false.

Yeah, I am 61 years old on an O-Visa extension, but have health insurance anyway, but I don't carry outpatient insurance because I can cover any outpatient cost out of pocket. I also carry a separate policy for accident insurance, which just as you said is far cheaper, and provides far more coverage. In my case if I had found I had a long term condition (disease or something) I would go home to USA where I am 100% covered as a Veteran.

I think its important that expats here realize that you can really beef yourself up for accidents using accident insurance instead of health insurance policies that cover for accident as well. As you say cheap I pay 2,700 Baht a year. More likely I fall down the stairs, then get dangerously sick, that's how I view it anyway. My health insurance runs nearly 4,000 THB a month. Yuck!

49 minutes ago, allencraig said:

I'm surprised no one has questioned the validity of "half of all foreigners are not paying their hospital bills." HALF? Of all foreigners who come to Thailand and visit a hospital? Really? I find that statistic very hard to believe.

Perhaps this is a translation issue. I think it more likely that 1/2 of the total amount billed to foreigners goes unpaid. Rather then 1/2 of foreigners not paying. But I suppose its possible.

In addition to what has already been posted they did - in my opinion - do a great job in updating both the website and app used for 90 day reports.