Carolina Reaper

On 1/8/2021 at 10:31 AM, ubonjoe said:

I could not do them until I did my first online report in October.

It did not work for over 5 years before that due to an old entry and a new passport. It works now since immigration did a change to the system last year.

@ubonjoe, so the online 90-day reporting system doesn't do a lookup against the database using the combo of passport# and arrival card (TM6) anymore? Or is that the system was enhanced to actually be aware of the new passport?

7 minutes ago, JohnOFphon said:

29 baht to one USD and I won't have enough to meet the 65000 per month. So sad.

Got a friend living in Kompot Cambodia..says it nice...but no shopping malls, Big C, Tescos..Little if any restaurant serving anything other than fish. yuck. 

There's also crispy tarantulas.

1 hour ago, pattayamick said:

Look at it on the bright side. 30 Baht for a dollar is not bad.

when I settled here in the early 1970’s. 1 US$ was 20,30 Baht for many years.

Remember when it hit 44+ a couple of times somewhere in the very beginning of 2000's? And gold here was like THB 5750/baht gold. And I had a sweet dot-com job back in the States. Happy Days.

Now I ponder such questions as, "How many flavors does Mama come in?" (Meant the instant noodle soup.)

I probably should've mentioned that I had taken a whole blister pack of this (Thai Ranid brand, 150mg) right up until stumbling onto the ranitidine instability research results. And the package was at least 1 year old. And stored in an often-hot room. 

Have I consumed sufficiently high doses of NDMA over a long enough time interval to have bestowed upon myself a nice, juicy case of kidney or bladder cancer? Probably not. Maybe not. Hopefully not. 

For the skeptics, feel free to PM me your home address, and I can send you my one remaining blister pack to use for your next bout of acid indigestion or reflux.

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

But you're quite wrong.
Visas can most definitely be extended.

Another example - -

How to Extend Your U.S. Visa While in the U.S.

Co-authored by Clinton M. Sandvick, JD, PhD

Updated: September 6, 2019

Extend your stay in the United States by filing a visa extension request with the U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) using Form I-539. 



https://m.wikihow.com/Extend-Your-U.S.-Visa-While-in-the-U.S.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Wrong? You have so beautifully illustrated my point...

"Extend your stay in the United States by filing a visa extension request"  555

I-539 is a change/extension of Non-Immigrant Status.

"Extend your Visa..." verbiage from wikihow. C'mon dude.

59 minutes ago, Maestro said:

 

Some web pages of the Immigration Bureau say visa  when they mean permission to stay and this is probably part of the reason why some immigration officials and some journalists and other people misunderstand the true meaning of the English version of the Police Order and the Immigration Bureau Order about the announced insurance requirement for foreigners who arrive in Thailand with an non-immigrant visa category O/A.

 

Historically, many folks here on TV have had endless difficulty comprehending what a visa really is (use Websters, not Oxford) and the fact that a visa can never be renewed, extended, or modified ... and that an expired visa is just that -- expired.

But perhaps even more perplexing is that, indeed, Thai Immigration themselves have become quite confused on the proper terminology (at least in English, but I suspect in Thai as well). 

Luckily, in practice, as evidenced by the manner in which things are actually performed/enforced by TI (in terms of allowing entry, granting a stay, validity dates, verbiage in stamps in passport, etc.), the "proper" terminology ends up coming into play. 

1 hour ago, Why Me said:

OP,

Please stop nonsensical fear-mongering. The links below are from the first page of a google search. There is no immediate danger to patients using Ranitidine nor any data that long-term users have a higher incidence of cancer.

 

If you have scientific evidence link to it.

 

is a step above trolling.

 

So cut out the bs. For many their life or quality of life depends on meds. It is irresponsible to come on to a forum and randomly malign a drug.

 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/popular-heartburn-drug-ranitidine-recalled-what-you-need-to-know-and-do-2019092817911

 

https://theconversation.com/weekly-dose-ranitidine-the-heartburn-medicine-being-recalled-because-of-cancer-causing-contamination-124578

Humorous but predictable response. Search for class action ranitidine lawsuits in USA. I suppose the fact that my son's law firm is involved in one of them isn't really important here, but it's not that I was trying to advertise his services.

It indeed takes sustained exposure to increase risk, as with any toxin.

It is irresponsible to NOT warn about a bad drug. There are safe alternatives.

Here's just a couple of links:  https://www.medpagetoday.com/gastroenterology/gerd/82550

https://www.valisure.com/wp-content/uploads/SUMMARY-of-Ranitidine-investigation-v1.8.pdf

I have more info but my son had to subscribe and pay to receive the full 100+ page .pdf files and I'm not going to post those here.

When you do research, you need to look at content date. Issues with the Zantac formulation where known about years ago but facts were buried. As of very recently (the end of last month) the truth has started to emerge publicly. You also need to be able to understand technical information, which clearly you don't.

22 hours ago, Sheryl said:

The contaminant involved is not part of the drug per se and has nothing to do with the safety of ranitidine itself.

 

It is an environmental contaminant that has found its way into some, but not all, preparations containing ranitidine. The same contaminant has been found in the past in completely different drugs. Not all brands of ranitidine have this proboem and nto all have been recalled.

 

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-and-press-announcements-ndma-zantac-ranitidine

 

I do nto know if the Thai-made  brands have yet been tested.

Sheryl, with all due respect, you are merely quoting the misleading information from FDA. I, and my associates back in USA (who have better organic chemistry background than I have), can easily see that the ranitidine and NDMA compositions are similar and the potential for an instability causing generation of the latter from the former is obvious. Heating accelerates the process. It is not an environmental contaminant in this case and will affect absolutely all preparations containing ranitidine. Some companies voluntarily recalled/withdrew their respective ranitidine medications as a form of preemptive damage control. My son's law firm will be getting in on a huge class action shortly. Ranitidine should never have been approved as a viable medication. That is why FDA is being careful. Don't think for a second that the FDA is incorruptible. 

It is true that it has been detected as a contaminant in the past (recently with some Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker hypertension meds), but the situation is different in this case and the FDA is resisting the notion of an inherent molecular instability. 

Neither you nor other interested parties have to believe me or any of the independent lab reports and university research on this matter (some dating back some 6+ years). Since Thailand's FDA policies follow U.S. FDA policies and Thailand still freely distributes ranitidine medication, I thought I would spread the word. There are completely safe alternatives (in both H2 antagonist or PPI classes) with active ingredients comprised of entirely different organic compounds. 

In short, this is not a case of a few carcinogenic particles appearing randomly among a sampling of cheeseburgers, rather it is a case of the entire world's offering of cheeseburgers containing a time-release carcinogenic meat patty. The carcinogen here (NDMA) is so potent, it's used to intentionally induce cancer in rats for subsequent experimentation purposes (e.g., development of cancer treatment meds).

Ranitidine (Zantac) has been banned or recalled in many regions already. The active ingredient has been found to be molecularly unstable and transforms into N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a well-known, potent carcinogen that is commonly used to induce cancer in rats for experimentation purposes. It is carcinogenic to humans with extremely high probability. In the U.S., the FDA appears to be trying to cover up the truth on this by saying that the NDMA testing process involves a heating step which is causing the creation of NDMA in the ranitidine samples. It is true that heat accelerates the molecular breakdown, but the independent lab findings are still valid. And, before that, the FDA treated the findings as a case of contamination.

https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/us-fda-says-gastric-reflux-drug,-zantac-(ranitidine)-found-to-contain-carcinogen

Statements like "Patients should not go into panic mode, because the US FDA only detected low levels of carcinogenic impurities" have been floating around the news since September, 2019. However, the US FDA has been untruthful. Over time (and accelerated by warmer environments), the active ingredient in each dose is guaranteed to morph into toxic concentrations of NDMA. Zantac should never have been approved as a viable drug. The Thai FDA trusts the US FDA. And the US FDA should not be trusted.

14 minutes ago, UncleMhee said:

Let's play semantics then. Your mate is telling porky pies!

https://www.immigration.go.th/content/service_18

(5) In the case of parents, the father or mother must maintain an average annual income of no less
than Baht 40,000 per month throughout the year or must have deposited funds of no less than Baht
400,000 to cover expenses for one year.
For other necessary cases, the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of Immigration Bureau
is granted the authority to make decisions regarding approval on a case-by-case basis.
(6) In the case of marriage to a Thai woman, the alien husband must earn an average annual income
of no less than Baht 40,000 per month or must have no less than Baht 400,000 in a bank account in
Thailand for the past two months to cover expenses for one year.

I can't say for sure that what Mansell related -- nor what his friend apparently experienced and passed on to Mansell -- is reality.

But I can explain to you what Mansell said by taking the liberty of clarifying his wording slightly... I'd thought that Ubon Joe already had clarified that sufficiently, though.

"A friend went to Immigration to do a marriage extension. He had plenty of monthly income to meet that requirement. He was instead offered a retirement extension even though he didn't quite have the full THB 65,000 to meet the retirement extension financial requirement. Although a marriage extension is not rocket science, it does take more steps than a retirement extension, and paperwork must be sent to BKK for final approval. Retirement extension is easier, his wife said. So they made a deal...."

36 minutes ago, RockyMtnJay said:

A retiree can get a METV at Los Angeles. You simply put RETIRED on the visa application and provide proof you have the required US$7000 in the bank. I did it last week and last year.

Yup, and an ME Non-Imm O to "visit Thai spouse" needs evidence of only USD 700.00. Apparently the spouse is valued at USD 6300.00.

Also, on a more serious note, the 700.00 does not have to be shown as having remained in the bank for any number of months (as opposed to having to show the 7000.00+ balance sustained over 6 months). Just a point-in-time recent bank statement.

On second thought, I seem to remember reading that a Thai national could grow a limited number of plants for his/her personal medically-related consumption. Nonetheless, I doubt any such Thai herbalists are complaining about side effects from their own harvests.

AFAIK, there is no legalization of marijuana in Thailand, medical or otherwise. There was no medical marijuana consumed by those experiencing adverse symptoms which became the subject of the news story. Extracts do not equate to the naturally occurring raw material. With "extracts" you have impurities, solvents, and greatly exaggerated concentrations of active ingredients in the wrong proportions. It should be either the real deal or nothing. If Uncle Charlie doesn't like being high in addition to having some pain relief and appetite improvement, then he should just pop some Gofens every 4-6 hours and get skinny.... until the stomach bleeding and liver damage set in from that OTC medicine. News Bulletin: Most prescription medications (including the most common ones people take every day for ailments such as hypertension) have secondary detrimental effects worse than many street drugs, and such effects are downplayed or covered up by the pharmaceutical companies. Creative statistics aren't just useful for TAT.

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

My knowledge is the agent handles all needs, and the 'somebody' need not go to immigration at all. 

Makes sense. But then it would seem impossible to break free of the agent because, on the next extension, the "post" seasoning from the last one will be seen as having been unsatisfied.

On 10/11/2019 at 6:14 AM, onera1961 said:

Most sensible comment so far. I was inclining towards agent. 

But how would that work for somebody who doesn't live in Bangkok or Pattaya area? I assume a local-to-the-agent residence must be "provided" by the agent. And then how would that be reconciled against the actual residence location for 90-day reports, TM-30, possible future visits to the real local immigration office, etc.?? I think agencies are problematic for the many folks who live outside those areas.

6 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

Remember, the O-A just like any other Visa has an end date but can be extended by going to Immigration.

A visa can never be extended. A visa can never be renewed. Never. Ever. Any visa. Never.

I find it fascinating that when comparing the Pacific Cross Long Stay Visa super-duper Platinum 3 plan with their regular individual Ultima Plus plan, age 61-65, the premium difference is a mere THB 43,390/yr -- considering that the LSV plan covers very little (if something catastrophic happens and/or you stay at a private hospital) vs. the Ultima Plus which covers most everything up to THB 50M per disability/yr. The difference is only THB 12,106 if the THB 40,000 deductible is chosen. The Ultima Plus includes outpatient coverage, of course, and dental and vision, too. The claim-free discounts would probably seldom be seen by anybody over 60, though (due to periodic OPD claims for things like BP medications, regular MD checkups).

5 minutes ago, Lacrimas said:

If you start paying at 30 years of age and nothing happens (touch wood), the premium will stay the same your whole life? (around 20.000 baht for me at the moment).

Uhhh, no. That could only happen in one's dreams. 

11 hours ago, verticalift said:

For those looking for coverage from insurance providers with offices in T’land, make sure that you read the fine print first. I was looking into this several months ago and found that they will only cover you up to age 70yrs. After 70, they will not cover you. Not very good for those of us in our 60’s. I recently switched from BUPA Global (UK), over to CIGNA in Dubai for my global coverage.

Int’l health care providers with offices outside T’land, unlike their Thai counterparts, will not kick you out at age 70.

Cigna Global is excellent. It's not cheap, but at least it's real insurance and, as mentioned, you can keep renewing without fear of being dropped (assuming pre-existing conditions weren't misrepresented on initial application). But the outpatient coverage isn't a good deal, especially in Thailand -- and especially if most of the outpatient visits and medications would likely relate to over-60 care (hypertension, arthritis, etc.). The Gold plan's total coverage limit per plan year for inpatient/daypatient/cancer/kidney dialysis is approximately 150x the 400,000 baht limit of the Thai plans (that 400K limit might be per incident not per year but still...). If you need an organ transplant under the Thai plans, you might as well instead look for the repatriation of human remains coverage (and I don't think there is any, btw.) The Thai long stay plans are a complete ripoff. For age 61-65, USD 4000/yr (or less) for real insurance vs. 3000/yr for wimpy pseudo-insurance... hmmm, you make the call. If you choose a nonzero copay, higher deductible, and a Silver Plan, Cigna cost can be quite reasonable. They also have a new plan that isn't worldwide but just "home" country + residence country and that one is even cheaper still (but with limits even lower than Silver in many cases). If healthcare coverage eventually becomes a requirement for extensions of stay, and my Cigna policy isn't accepted as-is without outpatient coverage, I will just get back to back ME non-imm O visas and do border runs every 90 days. Until that becomes no longer acceptable by TI. Then maybe I'll just have to jump ship and learn to eat Portuguese food. 

9 hours ago, Max69xl said:

Why do you think you can't extend an O-A visa?

 

No visa can ever be extended. Ever. Any visa. Ever. 

No visa can ever be renewed. Ever. Any visa. Ever.

On 10/1/2019 at 2:51 AM, gk10002000 said:

And Social Security elibigle when I choose for another 30K a year ( I am 62 +).

You need to change that from "when I choose" to age 64+ if you're thinking of SS benefits amounting to USD 30K/yr. It is virtually impossible to have an individual benefit that large (in 2019) at age 62.

Does anybody here remember when 1 USD = 44+ THB?... and you could buy so much more for those baht, too... 1 baht Thai gold was like 5750... somewhere around 2001 or 2004, I think (can't remember for sure -- things got pretty good around both of those time periods). I remember buying 10 baht gold one afternoon with what I considered chump change back then.

Sigh. Those were the days. Sometimes I eat Mama now.

1 hour ago, Rick1812 said:

What's  ho? 

Assuming you don't mean the "ho" that's sometimes spelled "hoe", it would mean home office aka HQ.