scorecard

Decades back I did the Bkk to the border trip. Train staff were always very careful to ensure all carriage doors were properly locked as the train was pulling out of each station. Many times I booked a first class cabin (actually very inexpensive). On boarding the train the guard/conductor gave us a polite detailed lecture about the dangers of insergent attacks on the train. He had a key to every first class cabin plus he gave us an additional key (not same pattern) to use to lock the door from the inside, and made it very clear 'don't unlock the door (from the inside unless you can see me on the outside of the cabin door'. And keep the windows locked at all times.

How big is the resturant? Would take lots of customers and with good margins to build enough cash flow to meet 150,000Baht a month just for rent.

Was 'pardon' ever on the table?

Just now I went back to the Services Australia website (Centrelink is part of Services Auatralia), here's a cut and paste from that site: "If you are in one of the following countries, you can use our free call numbers listed. The numbers may not be free from mobile or public phones. Thailand 001 800 611 4136 "

I've used it many times, it's in my contacts. Used it successfully about 10 days ago.

Good information. However let me share, I try to call (the TOLL FREE number) just after 9:00 am Hobart time, but of course you need to be up and ready quite early because of the time difference. Every time I've used the TOLL FREE number an officer has answered my call within perhaps 10 - 20 seconds. Never had to wait or call back. the TOLL FREE from Thailand (and there's seperate TOLL free number for calls from many countries)

Can I add a bit more. I've read before on this forum and on other forums that if you go back for the 2 years you have to own or buy a house or apartment, condo etc. That's NOT true. You can rent a house, apartment etc., you must have a written signed rental agreement and of course the rental agreement must be in your name. Logical of course that the rental agreement be for 1 year renewable. You'll need the rental agreement to be in place when you submit your OAP application. Centelink don't ask any questions why you renting and not buying. No questions at all. When Centrelink see that you have submitted a rental agreement there's no questions or investigation, it's totally accepted as satisfying the requirement that you are re-establishing an abode in Australia. Also Centelink do an automatic check whether you are entitled to 'rent assistance'. If you are the 'rent assistance' money will commence automatically when your OAP benefits/payments start. And then every fortnight. If you indicate that you already own a house, apartment condo etc then of course the paragraphs above are not relevant, except that the house value will be taken into consideration when you submit the separate personal Assets and Income statement. Don't be frightened about this item, no need. Another point; You must write your Australian Tax Office number on the OAP application form. (You don't have to submit old taxation returns - none.) A Centrelink officer explained this to me as follows: - When the Centelink OAP application rocessing computer see you have submitted a personal taxaton number their computer automatically 'ticks' a box to indicate that you have submitted a valid ATO number. - Then the personal ATO number you have submitted is totally deleted. WHY THE ABOVE? Sounds silly however a basic requirement to get the OAP is that you have at some time paid Australian personal tax. If you get the 'tick' (as in the 2 bullet points just above), this is acceptance that you have paid Australian personal tax in the past and fulfilled this requirement.

I went back and did the 2 years. I found the Centrlink officers to be good listeners, polite and friendly and always good clear guidance. Nowadays you only need to visit a Centrelink office once; to apply for and instantly receive a CRN (Centrelink Reference number which becomes your personal pension number) and to prove your identity. All further contact with Centrelink including lodging the actual Old Age Pension (OAP) claim and the Income and assets statement by e.mail, can be done easily/successfully by phone or e.mail. The OAP claim form is about 24 pages but don't panic, for most people 90% or more of the questions are not applicable*. I completed the form in about 20 minutes. (* The questions I was able to bypass were details of divorce and what support etc., still applicable for the ex-wife and any dependant children.) The Income and assets statement is also very easy to prepare for most people. It is more complicated for folks with details investments etc., but advice/guidance is available from Centrelink. I submitted on-line and got a very fast acknowledgement, less than 3 weeks later I got a polite phone call from Centrelink: - to advise me my OAP had been approved - to give me some basic details including pension rate/backpayment etc - to ask me to check my mail box the next day, and sure enough a letter confirming appproval, all very easy to understand - the next day the backpayment amount was in my Oz bank account. To call Centrelink International (in Hobart) there's a TOLL FREE number from Thailand 001 or 009 800 611 4136.

Just one point, suggest to ensure there's a very clear understanding in a written form, whether the goods will be subject to Thai customs taxes. Why? My experience : I had a shipment of old used second hand text books, all different text books, no duplicate books, sent from Australia to Bkk, the 'package' was about half the size of a shipping pallet and about 20 cm tall, about 25 - 30Kg. Shipping company agent claimed there was no customs duty applicable. Thai Customs asked what the books would be used for. Response 'To be used by an MBA professor to prepare additional teaching materials.' Customs refused to accept that and insisted that they must be taxed as new books and all the same book. I paid about AUD200- to get the shipment cleared by customs.

Possibly a better phone no is 001 or 009 0018006114136 to Centrelink International in Hobart TOLL FREE. Don't be frightened to call them, they don't bite, Centrelink staff always friendly, professional and focused and no push / no hurry up. It's worthwhile for your friend (maybe you) to start a MyGov facility in your PC or notebook then activate Centrelink under the MyGov umbrella. So easy and quick to access. Centrelink (also the DVA) are progresively giving benefits recipients the option of rceiving mail on line (by e.mail) rather than through the standard Post Office service. I've opted to receive all correspondence by e.mai and I get a message on MyGov that there's a letter waiting, in the Centrelink section of MyGov for me to receive. Can also respond by e.mail. In past history I got normal letters through the Australia/Thai post office. The letters from Centrelink all had standard DOMESTIC postage rates impressions (not international postage rates). I got some letters within a few days (here in Chiang Mai) and some took up to 6 weeks to arrive here. Iasked Centrelink if it was possible to flag my mail for overeeas postage rates. Nswer 'not possible, all outgoing mail is considered to be domestic'.

1.6 This Contract has been concluded for a definite period of time till ……………. Perhaps could be adjusted to: 1.6 This contract has been agreed: From starting date .. .. .... To finish date .. .. .... However the contact can be renewed if both parties agree.

Hey that's the requirement for American Airlines, plus big, for females. For males, middle aged, big and natural ability to fuss around and take forever to deliver a tray table.

Surely as part of the original development of the design of the aircraft by the manufacturer and fitting it out there's some form of stairs/slides appropriate for any/all situations: - Either deployed quickly from the aircraft itself by the cabin crew or the pilots, or - Avaialble very quickly, ready to roll, and brought quickly to the scene and put in place by ground staff. I find the suggestion that they couldn't get a slide or whatever into place because of the ground location to be just unbelieveable.

- The corruption part is well proven, several times over. - Astute. Yep, invest in blood diamonds.

Is that the model: - None for you. - 3 for me?

"Is a limited company included in the sale? What are the annual accounts like? If you are selling the business you will need to make the accounts available to qualified buyers." Good point, in fact for your own purposes and for the inspection of any serious buyers, suggest you prepare a list of Due Diligence items with full complete details for each item.

Good point, any hot young man or just any man...

Did anybody note the age of the 'kid'?

One party seems to always get less attention.

Perhaps you should add a young Thai man for the pleasure of the 2 ladies? With a 3some I'm guessing part of the time would be watching the ladies together. Perhaps that could work watching them with a young man? Horses for courses.

That's not the point. The aircraft has been damaged, the pilot doesn't know exactly what has ben damaged and therefore can't be 100% sure there's no chance of fire. Therefore first very urgent action : passengers and crew should be very quickly offloaded, using the slides, as quickly as possible and herded well away from the aircraft. Pilot would/should know the above, correct training* should have embedded the above deep into his brain as an instant reaction. Further he would be/should be well aware that very quick removal of the passengers/crew is absolutely required (no maybe - no 'up to the pilot') by various international and Thai protocols, regulations and laws. The pilot, airport management and operations supervisors and the airline management would also know that in these circumstances other aircraft would not be allowed to take off or land. Operational regulations would / should require that the airport / the airline is ready to very quickly implement a fully structured plan to get buses, vans etc., to the aircraft and get the passsengers to the airport passenger terminal buildings within a few minutes. And also be ready to quickly give comfort, support, reassurance that there is no further risk, provide coffee etc. The reports seen so far look nothing whatever like the above. Seems to me the pilot should be charged along with snr., managers of the airline and the airport. A different slant, I wonder what interntional airlines would think about this 'event'. *Training - Not re pilots just in terms of cabin crew; I recall many years ago it was revealed that many of the cabin crew of a Thai airline had not attended 'compulsory' training for many years re cabin crews responsibilities in an incident like this.

I'm sure he was just itching to ask for and to hopefully get personal approval, regardless of the real agenda of the gathering. I wonder how many million dollars his lemmings donated?

Further, I suspect the engineers on this site would be horrified if they observed similar construction for a week.

just wondering if there's a qualified and experienced civil engineer on site at all times (or perhaps that's 9 to 5 excepting golf days of course).

Just stand your ground and keep calm and repeat that 'it's now the law in Thailand patients/customers can buy their medications outside of the hospital' The law applies to all (repeat all) hospitals.