scorecard

I also use a wheelchair. I learned long ago to plan my travel method / routes to ensure there was a smooth footpath, ramps etc.

And within a week sister will be on the same process.

But don't forget someone is strongly supporting him at a very high level. Without such support he could not have achieved the current situation.

Did you check if the boat is licensed for this specific journey? Did you check if the owner / operator is a licensed boat operator? Did you check if the boat has sufficient quality life vests? ... and operational radio equipment?

But don't take advice from the amphur staff on how to write a will / what should be / must be included, etc. The amphut staff who have this role have no legal training and no will writing training. And they will insist that xxxxxxx must be included because 'it sounds nice' but is NOT the Thai law on this subject.

Agree, not necessarily easy. Farang friend (lives in LOS) agreed to be executor for friend with serious dementia problems getting worse and very serious internal problems (several cancers, all getting worse). Issues arose when the farang who has agreed to be the executor discovered by chance that the sick person had 1). Made major changes to his will leaving all of his assets to an old g/friend who hadn't been seen for many years but had just visited the sick man when she heard he was near death (how opportune). 2). Changed the executor to a Thai lawyer the sick man had never met but had been suggested by the opportune old g/f. Old g/f visited the farang executor who was holding the bank book of the sick man and demanded she take the bank book. Meanwhile the sick man permanently in hospital in ICU and the hospital holds an authority for hospital go to sicks man's bank (in LOS) every day to take funds to clear ICU bills for previous day. Hospital hears of the g'f's activities and quickly goes to the police and contacts the original farang executor. Police quickly take the matter to a court and court freezes everything. Waiting for next chapter/order from the court... and sick farang has died.

There's also the reverse. It is possible to find lenders who seem to quite flexible but very possible the time could come when the lenders become quite nasty and tricky, beware.

Each to their own ... many rituals exist which are 'normal' to many folks.

I'm aware of a really bad example of this: - Foreigner, now retired in Thailand after working in LOS for about 25 years is the managing director of a Thai shell company, the company owns (in Thailand) 4 luxury properties (all big house and land), and 4 condos. Plus in his own name 2 luxury cars and 2 expensive motorcycles. - In his original western country he own 4 large luxury seaside homes. His aged sick parents live in one of the homes (but have no documents whatever), 1 house is idle and deteriorating, 1 is rented, 1 is occupied by his younger brother, also has no documents. - In another 2 Asian countries he 'owns' 4 very large condos, all rented. He says he doesn't know where the documents are. In his working lifetime he operated a number of successful manufacturing and marketing companies, several in Thailand, and he had a professional accountant and a qualified lawyer in his office in Thailand. He's well aware of how the law works / he's well aware of how wills work etc. His close farang friends in LOS have tried many many times to take him to a credible lawyer here in Thailand to make a will. He refuses 'It's not necessary, my friends know who I like and they therefore know who should get my assets' plus 'It's the job of the police to sort this out'. He's well known for being very stubborn and for causing major arguments between friends and arguments companies he's engaged for house renovations, pool repairs and more. Contractors have called police to try to get him to rationally discuss / resolve several situations, mostly with no success. Bottom line - there is no will whatever for his Thailand assets and he admits there's no will or anything similar re the properties in the 3 other countries. When he passes (he has serious heart issues) this is going to be a nightmare, not only because there's no wills, he had admitted that, in anger, he has destroyed most the the relevant documents including land title documents. Further in the past 10 years he's had about 6 serious much younger boyfriends and he's told friends that he's promised all of them that they will be rich* when he dies (*house / condo properties, vehicles, cash). None of the boyfriends have any documents.

Do you have legal/valid will in Thailand? Do you have a legal/valid will in your original country?

And engineering standards.

Just one point, seems to me this will remain the responsibility of the Revenue Dept., (RD). Probably not monitored / managed by Immigration. Although many foreigners are on 'retirement' visa (which can be extended by a renewal application, an there's other similar visas, in other words Immigration do see these visa / applications for renewal annually. On the other hand there's foreigners who have Thai Permanent Residence (PR) which is issued for lifetime and is not subject to review. i.e. Immigration not in the picture. I wonder about state pensions. E.g. Pension funds sent from Centrelink in Australia to pensioners living abroad, the details attached to each transfer indicate it's a state pension. Will the Thai RD classify these specific payments as 'untouchable'? Also some Australians living in Thailand receive permanent 4 weekly War Service disability compensation payments. Within Australia these payments are not considered to be income. Will the Thai RD have the same attitude? My OAP 4 weekly payments go to my joint savings account at K Bank. It's easy enough to set up a permanent e.mail advice notice when every OAP payment is received at K Bank and I guess these could be easily saved as proof to show the RD if needed. I guess other Thai banks have very similar processes.

No the majority of Thais don't consider this a non-issue. Some members of my Thai family, my old work colleagues and many of my old students are discussing it regularly. My 17 yo uni student granddaughter tells me it's on the discussion agency for many kids her age and they know what they are talking about. MFP / K. Pita is very much on their minds as the only step forward.

Yes he is a common thief.

You might like to look back at the names the paymaster has used on others in the past. Just one example, at a press conference (when he was PM) an international reporter asked him an awkward question, the paymasters response was to yell at the reporter 'IDIOT SCUM' and walk away.

He's a greedy pig, all acceptabe English language.

Very much appreciate your post Your Exemptions and Considerations comments: "Most pensioners and retirees in Thailand need not worry excessively; they are required to declare their foreign incomes but should not be subject to additional taxation." Do you mean they will be required to declare their purely pensions income under the new rules or has this ben the case in the past? And how does the 180 rule connect into this? Appreciate any further comment you could share.

"He added that Thaksin returned to Thailand to face legal consequences because he is a ‘peacemaker’ who aims to foster reconciliation in the country..." I've never ever seen any evidence of that gem.

But seems it's not yet 100% clear what types of income will be taxable. At the moment I suggest it's not clear whether foreigners who receive old age pensions from abroad (and no other income) will be taxed and whether resident for 180 days is relevant at all. And not clear whether having a double tax agreement with the country providing the old age pension monies will make any difference, however perhaps this is a country by country puzzle given that double tax agreements are different country by country. Same question re foreigners who receive permanent war service disability pensions /compensation payments from abroad will be taxable and again whether resident for 180 days is relevant at all. And not clear whether having a double tax agreement with the country providing the old age pension monies will make any difference, However perhaps a country by country puzzle. And not clear whether having a double tax agreement with the country providing the old age pension monies will make any difference, however perhaps this is a country by country puzzle given that double tax agreements are different country by country. If other members have clear answers re the two paragraphs just above would you please share.

Perhaps the officials involved are going for a world record for the number of times this has been studied and re-studied. And keeping my fingers crosse the result WON'T be dedicate lanes on the existing road network. And if it's monorail system (which has been supported by the public), hope they come up with a much better plan of suggested stations, with easy access down to ground level (one previous plan had several stations in the middle of the superhighway, most not near intersections and therefore very difficult to get safely to the side roads. Oh well...

Personal experience?

I agree Rajavej is quite good, for me just 3 km from my house and through my Social Security fund membership (which Rajavej accepts) costs are free/reasonable. And they have a totally profession in-house ambulance service with trained staff, and quick to respond. Can you please share more details re Dr. Morgan, thanks.

"Some where that puts patients before profits ... " Good luck with that at private hospitals (anywhere in Thailand) especially for private room charges and the multiple add ons.

This is why some folks always use the plastic wrap service at airports to totally wrap their check-in suitcases/bags. They're convinced nobody would stal them from the luggage carousel. On the other hand thieves might well see these bags as plastic wrapped because they contain valuables. And thieves might well have studies exit doors etc., and know quick exit routes to get stolen bags out of the luggage arrival room very quickly. At Japanese airports you retrieve your check-in bags then join a queue with luggage and your boarding pass then take your turn for the luggage officer to check that the numbers match. And they do check the numbers carefully.

One bag stolen and therefore theft is rampant in China?