Shannoblic

The Thai dog breed Bang Kaew is probably the best domestic guard dog for you. They are both loving [BUT - only have one master] and exceedingly territorial. A pure bred [with pedigree and Bang Kaew Kennel Club registration] is going to set you back about 10,000 baht and they need looking after. My Bang Kaew is excellent but has to have top quality food and is regularly checked by the vet. Expensive - yes, but Thais are very, very wary of Bang Kaews and will not go near where they are. If you have one they will be a great deterrent but be aware that you do not let them loose outside your property. Anyone attempting to access your property could be subject to attack - and they do not let go!

Same here. Last year at Immigration Police home visit [Marriage extension] I got a small ticking off from the police for not doing a TM30 when I returned [to my registered address] from a trip to the UK. Might not agree with it but a lot easier to do what they want than to try and argue.

Lazada sell a really good 'snake catcher'. It is very much like a litter collector but comes in different sizes. The one I have is 1.5 metres long. They are very strong and unless the snake is very big once you have it in the jaws it cannot reach you to bite. The larger the snake the nearer to the head you grab it. I have to kill all snakes - harmless or not - as the dogs injure them badly and I don't like to see them suffering with bites out of them and their backs broken. I am certainly not going to try giving them first aid! We have quite a variety coming into the garden but once the dogs detect them it is normally a one sided battle.

MJCM - I have done this several times. For example, I am going to UK for a month in May and need a one month supply of the drugs I use here which will be quite a few. One point is whether the tablets are 'loose' [as in a bottle] or in a 'pop pack'. The pop packs attract much less attention. Also - you may consider [just for this trip] going to a clinic and getting a prescription for a two month supply of the drugs. This normally only costs 100 baht. This is what I do. Hope this helps.

If you have submitted on-line but are becoming concerned about the time can you go to your regular Immigration Office to do it?

Hi, Anyone like to play golf at Choa Praya golf course in Chai Nat perhaps once a week? Good nine hole course [with caddy] and very, very cheap.

May I offer some advice? If you register your email with DWP and your personal pension provider they will often contact you via email. If they don't they will send the form to your registered UK address. If you have someone at that address in the UK you can have them scan it and email it to you. Once received you can actually do the process by telephone rather than form filling, witnessing and return. Hope this helps.

Anyone in Chai Nat area like to play golf once a week at the Choa Praya golf course in Chai Nat?

Yes to both your questions. The form from the Amphur is a KorRor 2 I believe and your wife gets it not you. My local Amphur charges 20baht but I believe some don't charge at all.

Thank you problemfarang. I live in a pretty rural [but quite affluent] community and was thinking of ways to contribute. However, having seen the advice and comments I have decided to just concentrate on my grandson and make sure he grows up bilingual. Thank you for your suggestion but what appeared to me initially to be a simple thing does seem to have some potential pitfalls. ADMIN - I think this topic could now be satisfactorily closed.

Thank you for your comments and replies. It seems I would be better concentrating on teaching my grandson and ignoring the need to help other children speak English. The school attempts this but in my opinion there is nothing better than having a 'native' speaker to help learning.

I have total Police clearance from the UK. I was a University and College lecturer for some years and needed it. I have a certificate from the Police in the UK and could produce it on demand.

Hi All, I would like to volunteer for say an afternoon each week to help the English classes at the local kindergarten/primary school [private] that my grandson attends. I would not accept any remuneration or other incentive, merely trying to help the kids speak English. Would this be possible without going through the rigmarole of getting a work permit or any other bureaucratic process? I hold both Bachelors and Masters degrees from a UK university but would like to keep this as an informal arrangement. Does anyone have experience of this or can offer some advice? Thank you.

Thank you Dante99. My renewal date is not until next March and I wonder if Kasikorn would do anything after such a period.

Yesterday I went to my Bangkok Bank branch to get my book updated and the Credit Advice I get monthly for my transfers [via Wise] from the UK. To my horror Septembers payment was marked TRD instead of FTT. I spent an hour with one of the bank staff trying to sort it out [I even was still there after closing]. The staff tried to be very helpful but to no avail. Apparently Wise did a transfer from Kasikorn Bank to Bangkok Bank so it shows up as 'Transfer from another account'. The receipt from Wise clearly shows this but I am worried that my bank book will not now show 12 monthly foreign payments. To give background: - I am on a marriage extension, I use the 'Funds for long term residence in Thailand' on the Wise website when transferring and have never had this problem before. Any advice please - and would this stop a renewal of extension next year? Thank you.

Coota - what is free for over 70's? And the Fast Track lane has a large sign outside it telling you the categories who can use it. They do check your passport for eligibility.

Mosha - I too have a 'State' pension and company pension. Both are paid into my UK bank account and then I use TransferWise [now Wise' to transfer from there as a single payment. Never had any problem with either bank or immigration as the payment just comes as one marked as FTT for foreign transfer [Bangkok Bank].

May I ask how I could get a re-entry permit at Suvarnabhumi as I go through the Fast Track lane [over 70] - queuing at the 'normal' lane seems to be defeating the object of being a senior citizen with Fast Track privilege?

Thank you UJ

Sorry - forgot to ask - is TM30 an on-line process or does it require a visit to the Immigration Office. Thanks

Quick question: Daughter arriving for 2 week visit to stay with me and wife at our house [in wife's name]. is TM30 required or not on her arrival? Thanks

You and me both. I posted a thread a while ago when the Immigration Police who visited our house when renewing a Marriage Extension gave me a slight ticking off for not doing a TM30 when I returned from a trip to England in December. Was told movement within Thailand - no problem, but trip outside required new. No hassle - just a point for me to remember the next time.

Please let me dispel any suggestion of ‘free’ medical care with or without ‘yellow book’ or ‘pink ID’ card. This posting is about personal experience THIS week so is factual and accurate. Earlier this week I was rushed to hospital at 0530 with severe chest pains and out of control blood pressure. On arrival at the nearest hospital – a Thai Municipal Hospital – I was put on a trolley and taken to a sort of ‘triage’ room. Over the next couple of hours I had a covid test, an ECG, an X-Ray, blood test, pain injection, several blood pressure/pulse readings and was connected to a heart monitor. When the doctor had all the results it was strongly advised I stay in hospital at least overnight. They did not have a private room available so I was put on a medical ward. In the afternoon I was given an antibiotic drip and several tablet medications. The following morning I was again given an antibiotic drip and several tablet medications. Fortunately, my condition improved and I was allowed to be discharged later that day – may I add with several packs of medications to control my condition. Anyway now to the main point – before discharge we had to pay the bill. Someone from the Accounts Office came to see us [my wife had stayed] and presented the bill. We asked directly if a ‘yellow book’ or ‘pink ID’ would have affected the bill in any way. The definite answer was ‘NO’ – they have no relevance except possibly proof of address. So there you have it – a direct answer from a Thai Municipal Hospital within the last 24 hours. By the way – the bill for all that diagnostics, treatment, drugs, overnight accommodation with food [which looked good but I was a little out of it and not hungry], hospital clothing, drugs to take home etc. was 3,959 Baht.

Ojas - I submitted my documents to my agent on 3rd April. A couple of weeks later I had an email from VFS to say my application was now in the UK. The passport was issued [passport details] on 30th June and I received it shortly after by mail from my agent. There was a slight delay in the UK as I was the holder of 2 passports but now only need one and a couple of emails with the Liverpool Overseas department sorted that out in about a week. Hope that helps.

Just a bit of additional info: I got my new passport [UK] a week or so ago [via an agent in Pattaya] and on Monday this week went to my local Immigration Office to have my stamps transferred. They transferred all the necessary stamps [took TWO pages in my new passport] with no charge. I had been supplied with the required Embassy letter of request - they did check for the official embossed stamp on the letter to ensure it was an original. Using the new passport I then changed my details at the two banks I use - Bangkok Bank issued a new passbook whereas Kasikorn just did a computer change. All in all - no hassle, just a bit of time. Just out of interest - the Immigration Office checked my 90 days which I had renewed on-line while my passport application was being processed in UK. Don't know why but it was no problem.