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'Doubting friends' : Over several years I had 2 not cheap cameras stolen from my room and a wallet with about 500Baht. The final item taken was one of the cameras. A week later my close farang friend from my office arrived at my apartment with his Thai GF, we had plans to go to a local inexpensive restaurant for dinner. The GF opened her bag and pulled out a camera - my camera, a very new model with new features and a scratch across the bottom of the case. I politely asked his GF if she would please go to the restaurant and get a table for 3 and we would follow a few minutes later. She agreed and left for the restaurant. I challenged my work buddy about the camera and he admitted he had stolen it from my room a few days earlier. His excuse 'but I had no money to buy her a birthday gift'. I challenged him on the other items and he admitted he had stolen all of them. I suggested he go to the restaurant to join his GF. I didn't go. I was shocked and hurt. It taught me a lesson to not be so quick to trust anybody. Friendship totally finished. He quickly resigned and returned to his home country in Europe.

But beware of the electricity bill.

Keeping in mind that 'friends' could mean family. I live with my adult Thai son, his Thai wife, their 4 kids/my grandchildren. My Thai wife deceased some years back, she was a dr. of medicine. My days are consumed with conversations with my son (speaks perfect Thai and perfect English), and his wonderful Thai wife (perfect Thai, good English). We discuss family matters / family needs, coming school events and fees etc., etc. I made it clear years back I was very willing to join family discussions but ultimately I wanted my son and his wife to make all decisions. It works. And lots of contact with my grandchilden. My Thai language is prettty good but at the request of my son and his wife I never speak Thai with my grandkids, so that they have English immersion every day and it works. And we have a lot of fun. I take them to the supermarket, I give each grandchild a task to find something and come back to me and put the item in the shopping cart. e. g. 'one big green bag of sliced bread', or '2 lt of milk with dark blue top' or 'three chicken breasts', or '2 big cans of chopped tomatoes' or 'check the price today of dark grapes' in the fruit section, or 'what's the brand name of the cheapest big block of soda water and the price'. The kids never frightened by their tasks, I never get annoyed by a mistake, just use it as an opportunity to discuss further (more English immersion). In my village there's 5 older farang men incl. me. We meet once or twice each week at one of the houses for cofffe / a beer. We banned discussions on Thai or US politics. As above, I'm not lonely.

"Works for him, ..." I wonder what that means. Is he expecting that on arrival there will be a high level dignatories meet and greet ceremony with snr. gov't officials all saluting and smiling, giant bouquets of flowers etc?

Good news, I plan to use my online banking (from my notebook - commonly referred to, in the past as 'internet banking') to send an interntional funds trnsfer to the UK for 68,000Baht. Looks like no changes to the proces already in place for some time. Please don't suggest WISE. Already checked, not as easy as supposed to be. If the current discussion makes no changes to the current online inter. funds transfer process / requirements then it's quite easy. Seems that K Bank are not asking for new /special photos for foreign customers.

Because their current male partners are in the kitchen preparing dinner, as per every day.

There's no real Thai journalists. There's Thai reporters who take hand outs / listen to statements from politicians etc., and use these words to write a report, no questions asked, no checking whether the first paragraph conflicts with the second paragraph etc.

"Personally I would write off anyone asking for money as not even being a genuine interaction." In my experience (35 yrs in Thailand) i've had more farang than Thai ask me for money. Including several who appraoched me on the street / in the supermarket with 'you don't know me but could you give me xxxxxBaht?

Recommend BOLT. Their app. is the easiest to use, fares are cheaper and you can add additional infor the driver; e.g. 'Old farang short white hair, wearing brown shorts black shopping bag. Subit and the app instantly translates your message to Thai and send to the driver. Drivers response if needed goes thru same translation process. Well done BOLT. Need to payin cash but drivers always have change. QR code payment coming.

8 hours ago, zzaa09 said: I smell a soft coup a-coming.... = But will the public roll over as easy as in the past. I believe and hope not!

But running cost also important. We have all LG, all inverter, all the remotes have a 'SAVINGS' button. We've checked, using the SAVINGS button every time does bring a sizeable reduction in the elec. bill.

I recall when AIS (under thaksin) put some of their cables underground in Bkk, no structured under the surface concrete boxes, some were in yellow perhaps 3 or 4 inch plastic pipes. In some areas the top 20% of the plastic pipes were above the surface. Lots of complaints then remedial action to get them under the surface but still nothing really structured. Many years later other gov't. projects saw these cables/pipes, along with newer cables put underground more professionally but not to any universal standard.

And make the well known realization / stay with the fact that borrow money means 'give me money' with no strings attached, never to be repaid because it's not a loan it's actually a gift. Borrow has at least two different interpreatations: - Borrow with a written signed plan to repay the money and intent to pay the money back. - A gift, replayment not part of the situation in any way. (But the word 'borrow' used.) Different example: My (naive) Thai son started uni, found a couple of 'good' friends. Didn't take long for a 'good friend' to ask my son to loan him money (from memory 10,000Baht). (Also in the overall picture the good friend had noticed my sons family name was a typical western family name and 'unlimited funds had been mentioned by the good friend and others.) No repayments. Perhaps 2 years later son asked good friend 'when are you going return the money you borrowed'. Response from good friend. 'If you're going to ask for repayment you're not a nice friend'. Good friend never ever spoke to my son again.

Come on, removing the cables is another project / another budget. Rome wasn't built in a day.

But I wonder how they have been buried? Did they construct waterproof channels etc., or just scoop out a few shovels of dirt, throw in the cables and cover with dirt

And seems that many years of real in the field forensic experience not needed. And seems that discovery/creation of new unseen concepts/processes/equipment is not needed for promotions.

How do check that it's totally accurate? Is it because you receive a document (text) in English (or whatever language) and you used one of the dozens of machine translation (complete in 1 or 2 seconds) and the result from the machine translation is what you send to the client? In other words you personally didn't do the translation?

And do you give any guarantee that the translation you provide to the customer is 100% correct?

But if any religion is serious it's breaking various tenants to rip people off.

Many other reports indicate MAL is not secure at all.

BOLT is the same as Grab, operates on a downloadable app., except BOLT is marginally cheaper than Grab and BOLT app. is easier to use. In Chiang Mai and Bkk BOLT app. users can select from 3 options on the app. - a car with usual taxi signage (but more expensive) - an ECONO car, late model car in good condition and very clear, no taxi markings (about 10 to 15% cheaper than option 1 (full taxi signage), or - M/cycle taxi, good rates. I guess Phuket is the same. With BOLT passenger can add further pick up location etc., details in English, SUBMIT and the app. automatically translates to Thai and sends to driver. Same in reverese if driver sends note to waiting passenger. Works very well. With BOLT have to pay in cash, QR code payments coming.

Is that the menthol version?

But note; exit - re-entry permit is not available at the airport for PR holders who must obtain the permit at an outside immigration office, normal office days/hours.

Thanks. Done. Now all quiet...

Sort of missing the point, Thai folks are special and should be exempt from robbery. This direct from a Thai relative.