Etaoin Shrdlu

Procedure for one tooth using a 2.9 mm implant (Straumann, made in Switzerland) was 74,000 baht including both the implant and crown.

A family member recently had an implant performed by Dr. Atiphan at NP International Dental Clinic. The procedure went very well and the permanent crown will be installed on the implant after a few months. Dr. Atiphan was recommended by our regular dentist as being a very good dental surgeon. I understand Dr. Atiphan's day job is at Chulalongkorn Hospital.

A few years ago I bought I "new" Samsung Galaxy S9 from a seller on Lazada. The phone did appear to be new and was in what looked like an original Samsung Box, so initially everything looked ok. A check of the serial number revealed it was made for the Korean market. When first switched on, an unusual splash screen appeared. It had been rooted and some kind of non-Samsung software had been installed. Banking apps would not run and gave a warning that the phone was rooted. The seller offered to exchange it for an unrooted unit. I guess it all comes down to the seller.

I remember when it was necessary to obtain a tax clearance certificate from the Revenue Department in order to be able to leave Thailand with a re-entry visa under a non-immigrant B extension of stay.

If you haven't already done so, you might want to look into the viability of condo units as investments. Rents here tend to be low and one can't count on a condo significantly appreciating in value, at least not in Thai baht terms, although I'm sure there are exceptions. Then there are the running costs such as annual fees for the communal property upkeep, insurance, maintenance and repair, etc. combined with the difficulty and hassle of having a reliable tenant occupying the unit at all times. Also, don't forget Uncle Sam's hand in your pocket when it comes tax time, especially the recapture of depreciation when you sell. My apologies if you've already considered all of this or are a savvy real-estate investor. If not, you may wish to solicit others' opinion on this as well. My experience as owner of a rental property here was decidedly mixed. I would have done better with the money in a balanced stock portfolio in the US during the time I owned the unit.

There are dozens of small shops in MBK that repair phones and replace batteries. Not sure whether iPhone 5SE batteries would still be easily obtainable, but MBK would be the first place I'd look if I were looking for a battery for an older phone.

Foreigners with permanent residence status here may obtain conventional mortgages from Thai banks provided they have sufficient Thailand-based income from a job or other legitimate source and otherwise meet lending criteria. Often, the mortgage term can't extend past the borrower's 60th birthday, so if you're 55 years old, your mortgage would be for a maximum of four years and some months. So, yes, it is possible for a foreigner to obtain a mortgage, but relatively few foreigners meet these requirements. Foreigners without PR need to show that funds were brought into Thailand for the purpose of purchasing a condo. It may be possible to arrange a loan from an offshore bank or other lender and then bring the funds into Thailand, but such loans usually carry high interest rates. In the past, I think Bangkok Bank had a scheme in which their Singapore branch would grant a loan for this purpose. I'm not sure if this scheme is still available or what the lending criteria may be or other details. Given the requirement to bring funds into Thailand, seller or owner financing would not work here. Foreigners may rent out their condos as Nigel has stated above.

The compulsory motor insurance (Por Ror Bor) only covers medical expenses plus a death benefit for those injured or killed in motor accidents. It does not cover the cost to repair damage to vehicles involved in accidents. The current compulsory scheme was brought into force at the urging of the hospital industry as they were losing money treating people injured in motor accidents when nobody had any insurance at all. This is why it only addresses the medical expense and death elements of cover. The cover operates independent of fault and anyone injured in an auto accident can benefit, even if the vehicle involved cannot be identified, as in hit-and-run situations. Again, the idea wasn't to protect the owner/driver of the vehicle involved, it was to protect the hospital industry from unpaid bills, so it is fairly lenient when it comes to who can claim and under what circumstances. It is loosely modeled on personal accident coverage rather than on actual motor compulsory third-party liability insurance as is common elsewhere. I was working in the insurance industry here when this came into force in 1993 and it was quite a development at the time. The insurance industry initially wasn't keen on it. If someone had their vehicle repaired by an insurance company when it had only the Por Ror Bor cover, then it is likely that the other vehicle was at fault and the repairs were paid by the other party's insurance under their optional third party liability coverage. I would not rely upon someone else's insurance to cover my potential medical expenses due to a road accident. Best would be to have good medical cover. Second best would be to have personal accident cover, but the limits for medical expenses tend to be rather low and would not address a catastrophic situation. Also viable is self-insurance if one has the ability to set aside sufficient funds.

Guardian of the Sea, Koh Ngam, December 22, 2016.

Traffic, Rajprasong Intersection, Bangkok, February 11, 2017.

Wat Sirindhorn Wararam, Ubon Rachathani, January 3, 2020

Summer solstice, Phnom Rung, Buriram, June 23, 2022

Winter solstice sunset, Koh Chang, Wednesday, December 21, 2022.

WR Life is an insurance broker. At least according to their own website. What isn't clear is the identity of the insurance company that WR Life places its clients' business with. I've commented at length on this issue on other threads. This, and the financial status of that insurer, would be the first thing I would ask WR Life to disclose if I were obtaining a quote from them.

I don't think I've ridden a bike with an automatic transmission, so I can't really say. But I think part of the fun of riding is being able to match the engine speed and output with what you are doing or are about to do. I'm not sure how one would do that with an automatic. I suppose an electric bike with its instant torque would just as much fun, however.

That certainly describes an interesting approach to insurance. I think this is the first time I've seen an insurance broker issue "shares" to its clients. I would still wish to see details of the insurance company that actually bears the risk of loss under the policies that WR Life issues to its clients.

That would lead me to believe that VUMI has some sort of agreement with Pacific Prime to act on their behalf for clients in Thailand. Nothing particularly unusual about that, but did you agree that VUMI could release your personal information to Pacific Prime when you filled in your info on VUMI's website? Perhaps there is wording when you submit your info that you agree that VUMI can release it to their business partners.

This is the registration number given by the ORIAS, the French registrar of insurance brokers, banks and other financial intermediaries. To me, this indicates that WR Life is registered in France with ORIAS as an insurance broker. https://www.orias.fr

When the pooch takes me for my walks, I carry a cane. It looks totally appropriate for someone my age. It has been useful a couple of times, but is probably not 100% effective in keeping dogs at bay.

I meant that if an investigation were to be undertaken regarding the issuance of Thai citizenship, the entity that would be investigated would be the Special Branch, not Immigration.

I think that would involve the Special Branch Bureau as they are the ones that handle naturalization.

That's right. April is an insurance broker, not an insurance company. One needs to drill down to see who is the insurer in order to determine claims-paying attitude and also insurer security.

From what I've been able to find on the internet, VUMI's distribution arm for Asia is located in the Dubai Outsource Free Zone in the UAE. Free zones in the UAE do not come under the jurisdiction of the UAE Insurance Authority, so I'm not sure what oversight body would be of assistance if you had an issue with VUMI's Dubai entity. The parent company appears to be located in Dallas, Texas, but I don't think that entity is actually the risk-bearing insurance company that would be responsible for paying claims. I think that the insurance company that VUMI possibly uses, VIP Universal Medical Insurance Group, Ltd, is actually based in the Turks and Caicos Islands. If so, it would therefore probably come under the oversight of the Turks and Caicos insurance regulator. Sometimes smaller insurance companies will incorporate in offshore jurisdictions due to low capital requirements and light regulatory oversight, but I do not know about Turks and Caicos or VUMI specifically. I have not been able to find a Standard and Poor or A.M. Best rating for this company, so I can't comment on its financial strength. If you do pursue a quote from VUMI, you might wish to ask them for the name and address of the insurance company that actually bears the financial risk of paying claims along with information on their financial status including any ratings from Standard and Poor, AM Best or other rating agency. My preference would be to go with a large, well-established insurer that is subject to regulation in a major financial center in places like the UK, the EU or even Singapore.

I thought I provided an example from 50 years ago when I mentioned the Baader-Meinhof Gang in my first comment. I think he did say "never" about threats from the left in his post. Perhaps I misunderstood.

Back in the 1970s the threat to democracy came mostly from the left. Today it comes mostly from the right. I did not intend to imply that the threat today comes from the left, but you mentioned in your post that it never came from the left.