WyrldTraveler

On 12/17/2018 at 1:31 AM, vinegarbase said:

I tried to tell people. Every time there is a crackdown on illegal immigration it always comes hand in hand with making legal immigration more difficult and screwing over those just trying to follow the rules. 

 

Thailand is not going back to the Thailand of 5-10 years ago. They are paying tribute to the new emperors in China. "Farang go home" is the new Thai slogan. Good news is that you can free yourselves of the Thailand chains. Go get your Panama permanent residency in about 2 months and enjoy your freedom. You can own land, guns, get permanent residency and enjoy your freedom they way you are supposed to. Forget all this Thai immigration madness.  These are the guys to go through and don't wait before it's too late to make your backup plan. https://www.joyful-feet.com

 

Fourteen years of dealing with Panama Immigration has educated me that Panama is having the same problems of the rest of the world.  Workers in the various ministries are being pushed hard to comply with poorly-written rules/guidelines/policy and they are often terrified of losing their jobs.  Many get hours of verbal abuse from both their co-workers and the public.  How would you feel?

Permanent residency is not always easy.  Owning guns is legal, if you can find and afford a 'legal' firearm AND pass their tests.  Not every nationality qualifies for every program.  You are expected to speak Spanish.  Some locals have the attitude of "Gringo Go Home!"

I lurk on forums and listen to the horror stories of being abused by immigration officials of the Royal Thai Police.  The truth is always a mystery, because to listen to people, they are always right and others are purposefully trying to ruin their day. 

My experience has not always been pleasant, but at least when I was doing the 'Right Thing' (and they were 'Wrong'), somebody apologized to my face, in person.  I was denied boarding by the airline due to my passport having 178 days of validity for my onward travel.  As a result, I could not enter a non-Thai country or the passport-issuing country due to the lack of non-stop flights.  It would take 6 days minimum to acquire a replacement passport.  I went directly to Immigration to explain my situation and request their guidance as I was now illegal.  Some low-level functionary decided to 'punish the Farang' and make him wait.  I waited patiently; I wasn't going anywhere until this was resolved anyhow.

  And then I was called up by a Captain.  And then a Major.  It only took them four more hours to find the Colonel in command to make a decision and he apologized for the poor treatment I received, as the lower ranking staff assumed that I was a rude Farang.  A solution was found that allowed the situation to be 'fixed' according to the law with the minimum fine permitted by law for the overstay (THB 4k) I had to make a trip to Burma to the free-trade zone for a re-entry stamp (while not actually entering Myanmar) before the new passport arrived.

  The situation was resolved.  I have had no further issues with Thai Immigration other than some unwarranted questioning about my personal opinions about internal Thai politics, of which I have none.  I really feel for the King, as he will have a mess to clean up if the government doesn't get it's collective act together, but it is on par with most of the other governments of the world.

  The person who recommends Panama as the ideal place to go is unaware of the 'new' requirement for all permanent resident business to be done in the capital, regardless of your home address.  This is to prevent corruption, not only to inconvenience the Gringos and other foreigners.  Panama has it's problems, like anywhere else. Yes, it is inconvenient and sometimes relatively costly.  It's still cheaper than London or New York.

I've lived all over the world.  Most people are just trying to get by and go home.  You will find your occasional power-mad functionary who deflates after they don't get a reaction from you, or their co-workers try to make it right when they aren't looking.  Try being a decent person (in their eyes) for once.  See what happens.

It's your attitude.  Own it.

You should educate yourself on the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (IRS Pub. 54) and subsequently investigate any bilateral tax treaties. 

If self-employed, you should know how to reduce your exposure already, or be able to afford competent advice from a tax professional if you are unable or unwilling to read the rules and figure it out for yourself.

There are pill identifiers online such as Drugs.com, Medscape.com or Rxlist.com.

If you need help sleeping, herbs such as valerian root may be more useful.  Thailand has many herbal remedies which are safer than drugs and of which they are more knowledgeable.  Be careful mixing with alcohol, as herbs are just as potent as medications.

If you have a diabetic ulcer, it is obvious that your lifestyle is sub-optimal, as Type-2 Diabetes is entirely avoidable with a healthy lifestyle and diet.

Having debrided infected diabetic ulcers, I offer the following observations:

• Hydrogen Peroxide 6% is NOT 'Full Strength"  Medical grade H2O2 is 35%.  Peroxide attacks proteins.  Smaller organisms are more prone to damage and cell-death, which is why it is often used in wound care.  It MAY kill healthy tissue.  It should NOT be consumed internally, as it contains preservatives and stabilizers which are often toxic.
• The 'yellow pus' is likely infected tissue being excreted by your immune system.  The 'white pus' is likely dead tissue being excreted by your body as 'foreign material'.  Peroxide often turns proteins 'white'.  The presence of both indicates that your management is not helping and may be making things worse.
• The 'redness' you describe is an inflammatory response to increase the volume of 'immune-response' cells to the site of the infection.  Peroxide will kill these helpful cells just as easily as foreign bacteria or viruses.

If you are excreting both types of material, it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to visit a healthcare professional (even if you cannot afford it) as the next step is usually Gangrene, which can cause systemic infection.  Treatment for gangrene is usually amputation (in the event that it is caught early) and if left untreated, will spread systemically (throughout your body) and cause a slow, painful death.  Antibiotics are usually not effective in the event of a systemic infection.

I hope I got your attention.  Type-2 Diabetes can often be 'cured' or 'go into remission' through simple lifestyle and diet changes.  Sugar and carbohydrates are the fuel for infections.

Please close this application and get your self to the nearest urgent care/hospital/private doctor who is willing to treat you.  The price of not doing so is much higher than the price of visiting any 'expensive' hospital catering to foreigners.