Thomas J

30 minutes ago, bangon04 said:

"showing that Sinovac is only 50.4 per cent effective"  - so only half of the political prisoners died during the tests.... not a bad result????

I think the trial vaccines should all be tested on politicians first.  That way if they still die, we didn't lose much if anything. 

10 hours ago, herwin1234 said:

The 50.4% efficacy rate does not apply to you, because you are not a doctor. The Sinovac trials in Brazil can't be compared with others because almost all the 13,000 participants were medical workers. If the participants were ordinary people, the efficacy rate would definitely be higher because ordinary people are not exposed to infection all the time. That's why the Sinovac trials in Indonesia and Turkey showed higher efficacy rates.

That does not make sense.  You mean if you tested a group of people who lived in caves they would show the virus vaccine was 100% effective.   I am no scientist but I would think that testing would be done on a group who received the vaccine and exposing them to the virus to see how many did not contract it.  Otherwise the effectiveness rates would widely vary depending on whether the person was young, old, lived alone, went to work each day, or were health care workers.  That number would be meaningless. 

2 hours ago, phetphet said:

Forgive me for not understanding this, but if there is no legal entity, what could happen if you withhold all payments? Pretty sure they are not allowed to cut off your electricity or water, and if there is no legal entity, who could  sue you for the money?

This is a housing village not a condo development.  Everyone has their own billing for things like electric, water, etc.  The community fees are for common area maintenance and security.  There are small bills for electric, water, pool maintenance etc.  In terms of suing, it is my understanding that if one would sue, it would be the person who represented themselves as a juristic person and collected the money from the homeowners.  That was taking money on false pretenses that they were operating within the law. 

1 hour ago, phetphet said:

Why not make a point of using the poolside toilet? You are paying for it in your services.

 

I don't know if this would work, but maybe you could get a lawyer to write that he is withholding payment for services (in escrow on your behalf) until a bank account is provided by the President, as you need proof of payment or receipts for tax purposes.

 

There are several issues. The first and most important is that there is no legal entity and the person collecting the community monies is doing so only in cash and paying whatever expenses in cash. We can identify that she is taking in upwards of 50,O00 thb per month but only has two significant expenses amounting to only 19000 thb per month. She provides no written reports and of course with everything in cash no verifiable receipts

21 hours ago, bradiston said:

I can't see you're going to get very far on your own. It'll more than likely be a huge amount of running around with massive language barrier problems, not to mention cultural. For me, a lawyer would be the only way forward.

Fortunately my girl friend who owns the home is Thai.  Meeting at the land office went far better than expected.  The person in charge was infuriated that there was no legal entity and that the person had been violating Thai regulations for years.  He said a community has only 6 months following the formation of a governing body to register that with the land office.  He personally called the "chairperson" and scolder her for breaking the law and told her she had to get in to correct it within the next 24 hours. 

7 hours ago, timendres said:

If there was no contract, then it is likely the employee was never registered, and dismissing them would be straightforward

There is no contract.  They were talking about giving him a "contract" with a job description and if he failed to perform his duties as prescribed then terminate him.  I doubt he is registered but don't know.  

I found out yesterday that the community has been violating Thai regulations.  The committee has operated for years without forming a legal entity and correctly electing a juristic person.  The Land Office verified that yesterday and called the "chairperson" of the community informing her that she was violating the law, chastised her for going for years without properly forming an entity and that she was to report immediately..  So with that, I suspect that the security person was not registered.  I is paid in cash which would make it hard to document that he is or was ever properly employed.   

14 minutes ago, PGSan said:

US law and common practice is not at all relevant here, any more than is UK, German or Chinese! 

I would agree with that. In USA you would need a signed agreement between the homeowner and community association. There would be a formal document of bylaws stating what both parties were responsible for. Also even with permission a person would not be allowed to live in areas not meeting code for living quarters

2 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Find a lawyer, one that will take a case against a Thai. Maybe hard to find, but an overseas law firm used to handling "farang affairs" would take this, I'm sure. Combine with other residents if possible. The whole thing sounds completely cockeyed.

Heading to the land office today to get documentation that she is not a jurastic person in charge of a legal entity over the housing.  I hate associations.  Everyone complains but no one wants controversy so they just allow the infractions to go on.  No one wants the job so even if the person doing it is scraping money for herself no one wants to question it.  

In any association I have ever been involved with all payments always go into an account in the name of the association and all expenses paid out of it.  Here, she wants only the fees in cash and all payments for all bills are paid by cash.  Never not even once any accounting of monies coming in, or expenses paid.  I can't believe she does the job out of the "goodness of her heart" 

2 minutes ago, gwapofarang said:

guess I'll try to call Bank of America again and see if anything can be done. But I did try to install their banking app here from Thailand and received the same error message "restricted in your country".

You need to go to your phone and change the country from Thailand to the USA.  The app store or playstore will not allow you to download some apps depending on how you have your phone set.  I was not able to download some apps like Shopee or Lazada until I changed the location on the phone from USA to Thailand. 

The other "possibility" is that certain web sites will not allow you to access them if your IP address shows you as being here in Thailand.  I use a VPN from Nord for both my phone, computer, and phone where I can select what country I want my server to show I am based in.  If I get one of those messages not available in your country. I change the location to that country.  I had some forms to file for a Covid related cancelled flight in Spain.  I was not able to fill those out until I changed my VPN location to Spain.  

I would first go your settings on your phone and change the country to the USA Then after it is changed try and download the banking app.  If that does not work.  You will then need to subscribe to a VPN to show that your IP address is coming out of the USA.  I suspect changing the country code on your phone will be enough. 

These are snapshots from both Playstore and App Store (iphone)

I have never used or know nothing about Net Spend.  However the majority of banks in the USA offer apps that allow you to scan the front and back of a check and have it deposited into your USA bank account.  

In terms of your dormant account.  I would call the bank.  Typically the bank is marked dormant after a given period of time with no activity.  After I believe 7 years the bank is suppose to escheat the money to the federal government.  You can retrieve it but have to file papers to do so. 

I have received several checks while here in Thailand.  I have also had checks sent to my daughter in the USA who scans them, sends me the PDF file and I then scan and deposit those into my USA bank account without any problems at all. 

I have not opened a USA bank account while here in Thailand.  I have opened a couple of brokerage accounts by presenting my passport and in one case a video call holding my passport.  Again, I would call the bank and find out what if anything they may be able to do. 


 

15 hours ago, rabas said:

I doubt all SS recipients live a cushy life on their SS check. I lost significant supplemental income due to covid. 

I did not say SS recipients live a cushy life.  I am on Social Security and that plus my savings is what I live on.  However of the people impacted the barber, beautician, clothing store, waitress, bartender, taxi driver etc. have been far more impacted by Covid than seniors.  The truth is that my social security and there's has been totally unaffected by Covid.  So giving it in the name of Covid is just disingenuous.  Again, if deficit spending has no detrimental impact, why not give everyone $10,000 or $100,000.  The government borrowing from the future is no different than the person who runs up their credit card bill.  The live good for the moment but eventually the bill needs to be paid.  Somehow the public believes that the government is just a goose that lays golden eggs and it can indefinitely provide all citizens with a comfortable lifestyle just by borrowing.  A wise person and country "invests" in things that pay dividends and a return on investment.  A foolish one just throws money away spending it frivolously.  The infrastructure in the USA is badly in need of modernization.  Money borrowed and then then spent in the economy on disposable consumer goods will quickly dissipate and once spent that money is no longer available for those critical infrastructure projects. 

19 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

And how old are you?

I will soon turn 72 and no I don't want Covid but the steps they are taking are just plain stupid.  94% of all Covid deaths are from people with comorbidities.  My mother in law died they say from Covid.  She was 96 and in failing health.  Senator Elizabeth Warren's brother "died from Covid"  He was 86 had cancer and was in a rehabilitation home to recuperate from pneumonia before he contracted pneumonia.  If he had contracted TB would you say he died from TB?  If he contracted the flu and died would you say he died from the flu?  

Any person who has significant health problems and contracts any other disease is at increased risk for significant complications and/or death because of their underlying health conditions.  That is true for Malaria, Dengue Fever, Influenza, Bacterial Infections, Blood Clots, Phenomena and the list goes on. 

The reality is that 95% of people who contract Covid exhibit symptoms if any at all that are so mild that they don't even require hospitalization.  Covid is serious but don't make it out to have the same lethality as the venom from a Komodo Dragon. 

1 minute ago, transam said:

Well off Thai's are buying the high-end cars, it is only us from the west that complain about the Thai tax markup, Thai's are used to it, think it's normal.

You could very well be right.  It could be just a prejudice on the part of the government to "punish" those well off enough to afford the more expensive car.  As mentioned, certain items notably labor here is hugely cheaper than the West.  Taxes here are much much lower.  However the cars but particularly the upper end models are more expensive.  A Toyota Yaris in the USA has a base price of about 521,000 THB but sells in Thailand for 549,000 so virtually the same.  However a Camry in the USA starts at just over 800.000 thb but here in Thailand it is 1.455 million.  So obviously there is a much higher tax being imposed on some models.  

21 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Not true...the vast majority of Lexus, Porches, Benzes, Lambos, and other luxury cars I see tooling around Bangkok are driven by Thais, which makes sense as there are a lot more wealthy Thais in Thailand than foreigners.

I don't know if that is true.  I have nor do you any way of establishing the percentage ownership of the expensive cars.  Even if it is true, perhaps the government here is either "thinking" that foreigners own most of them or is socialist believing if you can afford the more expensive car, you should pay through the nose.  One way or another, there are things here in Thailand that are less expensive than other parts of the world but upper end model cars are not one of them.  

13 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

Comparing Sweden to Portugal is ridiculous. Just like trying to compare the US to Italy. Doesn't make sense.

I guess we will agree to disagree.  The fact remains, Sweden's rate of infection is not materially different than those countries that chose to impose numerous covid prevention techniques.  Just like comparing Bangkok, to Udon Thani is flawed because of the population density difference comparing Sweden to Denmark and Norway is also flawed.  Denmark has a covid infection rate of 31,000 per million compared to Sweden's 48,000 per million.  So if imposing strict Covid measures was effective using neighboring countries, At best it had only a marginal effect in limiting the spread of the virus.  I still say, it is not unreasonable to look at Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, and numerous other countries and say, Swedens rate was not worse and in many comparisons better.  If there policy was so horrible their rate of infection should have been exponentially higher and it was not. 

4 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

First Class insurance, zero-percent financing, window tinting, and floor mats thrown in).

You must be buying some extra expensive window tinting and floor mats.  Zero percent financing is pretty much the case these days with near zero interest rates.  Bottom line, the lower end cars such as the Toyota Yaris, and Vios are only marginally more expensive than their U.S.A comparable models.  However the upper end including the Camry, and Accord are hugely more expensive.  The same is true of cars like the BMW and Mercedes here in Thailand.  I can only assume that the government imposes huge import taxes on cars not built here.  They also may discriminate in imposing higher taxes on the more expensive models knowing that it is likely not the local Thai's that are buying them.  Don't know but one way or another the Accords, Camry's and BMW's are not worth the price they are charged here in Thailand compared to the USA and Europe. 

12 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

People are not people. Do you know why Africa has done so much better?

Yes people are people.  I did not say that geography, temperature, population density did not have an effect but the population density of Portugal and Sweden is about the same 114 vs 111 people per KM.  Quess what they are ranked 23 and 24 in the world in terms of Covid infection rates.  Also you are foolish if you think that the Covid reporting from many African countries is at all accurate.  If you test, you find Covid.  Do you really think there is much testing in Botswana or Tanzania.  

6 minutes ago, rabas said:

Using your logic, Sweden was worse than 170+ countries with people. Clearly their system failed.

Yes however that also means that 23 other countries Failed including most of Europe and the USA.  Again you are using convoluted logic.  If what other countries did was effective their Covid rates would be dramatically lower.  They are not.  If what Sweden did was such a failure (compared to other countries) Its covid rate would be exponentially higher.  It is not.  If there is a failure it is that Masks, Quarantines, Hand Washing, Social Isolation, Contact Tracing etc. FAILED to have any statistically meaningful impact compared to Sweden.  Sweden's approach by your definition may have failed but that just means it was no different than the other countries as well. 

On 12/18/2020 at 12:41 PM, Pattaya Spotter said:

The Honda Accord sold in Thailand has always been a bit of an odd duck. People often say it is much more expensive than Accords sold in other markets.

Dont know if some of the features included in the Thai Accord are upgrades from the USA model.  I do know that the full list price of a Honda Accord in the USA is about 830,000 THB versus the lowest price of 1.475 million THB here.  Additionally in the USA you always pay something less than full list price for the car.  While there may be a few upgrades I would suggest that they are not worth the 600,000 THB difference.