DanFromHawaii

Which bank will open a savings account with internet banking for me with only: 

1. USA passport without further certification from the US Embassy

2. A valid Tabian Baan (yellow book) 

We have a home with a good-sized grass lawn in the Khlong Sam Wa, Bang Chan area of Bangkok. Some of the grass, particularly in the shade, won't grow. I think it's a combination of wrong grass type and poor soil. 

I hope someone knows the name of several nurseries/consultants who we can get quotes from to replace the grass and/or soil if necessary. Thank you. 

Checked the Central Westgate area. Great! As promised, MANY, MANY choices of nursery sellers. Thank you. 

I'm looking for the biggest selection possible of climbing flowers to add to the planter I built. Don't want to start from seeds. Who might have the biggest selection of these in Bangkok? Checked roadside places but selection isn't very big. 

NEED: American financial account with direct deposit, debit card, and online money transfer capabilities

PROBLEMS:
1. IRS and State of Hawaii require an American financial account in order to pay taxes and receive electronic refunds
2. Must have functioning account by 10/15 and tax filing deadline
3. My retirement fund requires an American financial account for direct deposit and have been holding my monthly payments since January
4. Cannot travel to USA to open an account because of Covid
5. Many financial institutions require proof of residence with a utility bill with my name and address, but Thai laws require my wife to own our home so can't do that. My only proofs of residence are Social Security letters addressed to me at my address, personal invoices addressed to me, and my "Yellow Book" Tabian Baan
6. I don't have a large amount of money, like $75,000, to deposit. I maybe can do $1,500, but that's the most (so Charles Schwab is not possible because they require $25,000 to open) 

SO: I need name of an American financial institution that YOU have successfully opened an account with FROM THAILAND (satisfying all my conditions as stated above). Thank you.

If this is truly impossible, I cannot pay taxes or receive tax refunds or my retirement funds ever again.

P.S. I was born in the USA and have no felonies or misdemeanors of record

Unfortunately, I closed my USA bank account when I moved to Bangkok in January. I shouldn't have, for many reasons. But now I have to open a USA financial institution banking account. 

1. Because of Covid and because of the expense, I can't just fly to the USA to open a bank account. 

2. MAIN QUESTION: Do you know if there's a USA bank that has a branch in Bangkok that I can open a bank account at? I know there's a CITI Bank but haven't been able to get an answer there yet. Any others? 

Anyplace in Bangkok that has these (closer than Chonburi Concrete)? 

Actually, I have another question. With a whole world ready to buy their services and product, why do the US streaming services not want to sell their product to other countries like most other US companies do? Seems like there's a lot of profit to be made AND would make us expats happy. 

Thank you. I realize you can't "broadcast" exactly which VPN service and which US location within that service works because you would then be telling Prime publicly what to block. But I also don't want to spend a 1 month fee for 10-12 different VPNs to try out, which will be blocked eventually anyway. 

My real question is WHICH movie streaming services in the whole world can I actually use? 

Amazon Prime Video does NOT work in Thailand now. I also tried it using a VPN with a Los Angeles address, but Prime detected and rejected that too.

I can watch Netflix in Thailand, but most other movie streaming services (Prime Video, Hulu, Crackle, Vudu, etc.) that I used to use in the USA are "not available in this geographical location." They have gotten wise to the use of VPNs so that doesn't work either. 

Please share ANY AND ALL movie streaming services that work in Thailand. Country of origin or cost or anything else doesn't matter to me. I just want some movie streaming services that work in Thailand besides Netflix. Thank you for sharing. 

P.S. if something technical is involved, please share how it is done. 

9 hours ago, Max69xl said:

How many thai students wants to learn how to play the pipe organ? 

None until you start playing it and someone hears it. True for violins, band instruments, piano, any instrument not native Thai. Someone heard them, liked them, and now they are played and taught. It's simply a marketing issue.

Perhaps I will invite Gudni Emilsson, conductor of the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra over for dinner and demonstrate the organ. If it was played for a concert, interest would develop. 

I think I'll just shut up at Customs and let my Thai wife do the negotiating. She holds a high-level executive job in Bangkok and I have designated her the consignee. She knows her way around. 

Before you ask, no, she hasn't lived abroad so she can't claim exemption as a returning Thai citizen. But she is pretty savvy. We'll see. 

This instrument is the same as if someone brought a personal piano as household goods into Thailand. I own it, possess it, and use it.

New twist: What if I'm teaching lessons on a musical instrument no Thai knows how to teach? 

I am bringing a 4-manual with pedals computer pipe organ into the country, based on the Hereford Cathedral organ in England. If I taught organ lessons on this instrument in my home, I'm sure I can prove that only westerners at Christ Church or Assumption Cathedral in Bangkok know how to play or teach such an instrument.

What would be my strategy for getting a work permit to teach something no Thai knows how to teach? 

With my degrees, of course I have formally taught and been employed both as a regular teacher and as a music teacher in the USA. 

So my only solution in Thailand would be to go to a music school or piano store and ask to be employed by them as a music teacher? 

I have a bachelor's degree in education and a master's degree in music. Of course, I could teach English formally at some school or online. But: 

Is it possible to teach piano lessons out of my home self-employed? Or would I have to first be officially hired and sponsored by a company in Thailand and being them in on the action? 

I know the difference between American 120V 60Khz electricity and Thai 220V 50Khz electricity. So, are there any categories of electronics will safely run in Thailand using a converter plug? (Obviously, buying everything new in Thailand is the recommended route, but is there anything I can use until old things die?)

1. Lights/lamps (with Thai-purchased bulbs, if course)?

2. Electric fans? 

3. Small kitchen appliances (blender, mixer, knife sharpener, coffee maker, electric kettle, rice cooker)?

4. Charger for my electric drill and circular saw? 

5. Charger for my music boombox?

I have heard that in general, anything that has a power supply converter won't work. Understood.