Billybaroo

On 5/8/2024 at 3:36 PM, gk10012001 said:

have barely smelled the stuff since the 70s.  But as I coast into retirement I am not against trying it a bit at my ripe old age of 68.  In the USA so many people have prescriptions for it, albeit legit and needed or not.  I was wondering if a girl I know that does use it would be able to buy and use some while in thailand, with or without her "legal" prescription

That is a big no if you mean to bring in cannabis from another country into Thailand. Especially, from the US. While cannabis make be legal in one state to transport into other states or over borders is a violation of Federal law. 

12 hours ago, expat_4_life said:

I applaud the 90 day visa exempt (if I read it right) entry for Russians.  Don't let politics cloud your vision/opinion.

It sets the precedent for the same treatment for other foreigners to come.

  But, the entire point is global politics. Russia is waging war on Ukraine. They are basically a pariah to most of the world except China, North Korea etc. and the Thai government decides to give them preferential treatment over democracies in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. I would say Thailand's decision to do this is almost entirely an attempt to court Russia, especially after Srettha invited Putin to visit Thailand. 

1 hour ago, JBChiangRai said:

The problem is recreational use.  Recreational use has never been legal.  They removed it as a narcotic providing THC content less than 0.2% and Anutin himself couldn't have been clearer at the time, as he said to CNN...

 

Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he expected legal cannabis production to boost the economy but cautioned that recreational use of the drug remains illegal.

“It’s a no,” said Anutin, who is also a deputy prime minister. “We still have regulations under the law that control the consumption, smoking or use of cannabis products in non-productive ways.”

Thailand just decriminalized cannabis. But you still can't smoke joints, minister says | CNN

 

The problem is growers and shops didn't listen and followed one another like lemmings.

Every shop sells cannabis bud which is usually >10% THC. I believe the .2% is confined to synthesized THC sold as edibles and oil. 

2 hours ago, jcmj said:

Hell, my doctor suggested that I try marijuana for my chronic pain, but I still haven’t found one that helps and doesn’t make me feel loopy. I don’t like the high feeling I just want the pain to go away. 

Unfortunately, one needs quite a high THC level to shut out chronic pain due to illness or nerve conditions. At higher levels cannabis operates like alcohol. You feel happier, but are usually quite bombed. Very difficult to function at that point. 

3 hours ago, PJ71 said:

Benzos are available OTC here.

Huh? 

15 hours ago, billd766 said:

The US taxman taxes ALL income worldwide for US taxpayers.

  Up to a point. US citizens working abroad for more than 11 months out of the year are taxed far less than US citizens working in the US. 

15 hours ago, QuantumQuandry said:

Not all retirement money is taxed in home countries.  Disability or tax-exempt bonds, for example.  Other money is taxed but not in a normal manner (Roth IRAs, for example).  Will Thailand be up on the tax rules of other countries?  Will they even try to honor them?  Can't see that ending well.

  In the US it is, eventually. Just a point of clarification. 

15 hours ago, Jingthing said:

If you're living in Thailand most of the time you're technically a tax resident in Thailand. You're conflating tax residency with US global taxation of US citizens. Being a tax resident of Thailand does not stop that. Only renouncing US citizenship stops that.

  Correct. Living outside the US for more than 11 months out of the year just changes how you are taxed as a US citizen, not that you are taxed. So, living in Thailand as a US citizen under that criteria would change who and how one is taxed as a US citizen. 

15 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

Thailand to tourists—please come.

Thailand to expats—please leave.

There is still a lot more to the fine print, but even tourists could be impacted in the most broad terms. I am in Thailand 2 months out of the year. I wire money from the US to my Thai bank account. Will the wired funds get taxed during the transfer process? 

10 hours ago, Hamus Yaigh said:

The true face of Thailand. An utter disgrace.

  Courting Russia, courting China, suppressing democracy in their own country, the elites and military having a stranglehold in their own country...any surprises here? How much Thailand has changed in the last 30 years. 

On 7/25/2023 at 8:31 PM, Tropicalevo said:

And that was the dinosaurs' plan all along.

They stay in power and extend the deadline to remove the senators. ????

  That is exactly correct. The Senate firewall was built by the cronies to ensure that true democracy cannot take a foothold in Thailand and that they remain relevant despite being in the minority. 

12 hours ago, Stanaris said:

Whether his renomination was unconstitutional or not is irrelevant as pita was ordered to step down due to an order from the constitutional court. Well that is my understanding but I am sure the experts on here will correct me if this is wrong.

 

If I read this correctly. Pita was suspended from office until the CC concludes it's case. So, essentially, the ombudsman is pausing the voting until the CC finishes its case against Pita. 

"The ombudsman also agreed to ask the court to order parliament to suspend the prime ministerial selection process until it rules on Pita’s renomination, to prevent irreparable damage which may result if the selection process is allowed to proceed."

15 hours ago, champers said:

Pita is 42 and can afford to play the long game. Pheu Thai in charge for 4 years with a cobbled together and unsavoury coalition will not harm Pita's future prospects; same if Prawit or Anutin become PM.

MFP will likely have to form a new party and be in opposition but they have done it before and the payback could be a landslide win in 2027.

 

   I am sure this has or will be commented on, but I doubt Pita will be around in 4 years. It is a virtual certainty that the CC will kick him out of politics for the next 10 years. 

12 hours ago, BenStark said:

Explain why not.

 

The 3rd ound is tomorrow, isn't it?

Will the Senate try to have MFP removed by the CC over Lese Majeste?

12 hours ago, BenStark said:

As far as I'm aware shares from a suspended company can not be sold, at best they can be transferred to someone who agrees.

 

I know because I own shares in an ADR of a Russian telecom, which has delisted on the US stock market because of the sanctions, hence I can not sell them

  Technically, on American exchanges you can sell defunct shares of stock as "junk" for tax purposes. Capital loss. Not sure about Thailand

12 hours ago, IamNoone88 said:

He made a critical mistake that he could have easily avoided. No-one to blame but himself. 

 Threading needles to comport to standards that are set by the people who don't want you to have a voice is hardly a mistake. 

12 hours ago, AussieinThaiJim said:

Wait until the USA says fix it up or else!

Thailand really doesn't care about what Western Democracies think, except for the limited reasons of trade and tourism. Western Democracies, like the US, care that Thailand doesn't become a puppet of China. That is the balance. The question is what are the next steps of this fiasco. The next domino: what happens to MFP? The Senate has hinted (stated) they won't accept a coalition with MFP in it due to Lese Majeste. Junta is waiting in the wings: the creators of their own narrative to resume control. 

14 hours ago, OneZero said:

Remember 19 May 2010 the government crackdown after lengthy protests in Lumpini Park.  Tires burning outside my condo on Rama IV rd.

  I was there in May 92' by sheer coincidence. I was returning back to the States from climbing in Nepal. I had never been to Thailand other than to transit. I took the train into Hua Lamphong. The military was point rifles at the cars. I had cameras on me after I stowed my climbing gear at the station. Some Aussie guy convinced me to go the Democratic Monument at about 10P rather than the night train to Koh Samui. The rest is history, and on film. I was at Lumphini on May 20, 2010. So, I just photographed the carnage left.  and May 2010. Tough to compare, but 92' protests and the military response to them was unforgettable. 

2 hours ago, TheTightArseTraveller said:

If you do a bit of research, this guy is just an American/Big State puppet.

Im not saying change isn’t needed, but I would rather the devil we know that keeps Thailand Thai than a puppet that works to erode Thai culture to replace it with western ‘values’.

 

So China as an ally is a better option?

3 hours ago, DjSilver said:

Everytime there is a qualified new politicin Thailand, the dictatorship will force him/her away.

 

The global leaders need to start and block Thailand from the international trade as long as they do like this.

Not China. 

6 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

Unfortunately, I think Pita will step down...

Two things are inevitable: He will step down and the nail in the coffin, he will be banned from politics. The fist will not be enough for the Constitutional Court and the ????s. 

14 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

Olaf Thorsten Brinkmann does not look like a nice person....

Looks more like he will die of cardiac arrest than the death penalty first.