n8sail

Just got a weird email from Krungsri saying someone attempted to open a Krungsri Biz Online account in my name in February of 2020. I have had and actively used a personal account with them since ~2013, and only use web browser on PC. (No, I'm not that old or tech unsavy (I run Linux only), I am security conscious and use another bank for my 'risky' phone app banking, with little money in the account, use Krungsri with no app for everything else) Anyways, emailed back, then got a text message only in Thai with a temp password. Wasn't sure what it was. 20 mins later Krungsri called, very nice, well-spoken English and explained the situation, all personal accounts moved to Biz Online, supposedly no monthly charges. Just logged in, changed password as prompted, and everything is there. Favorite transfers and all. The kind girl informed me this MUST be done in the next 7 days or you will lose all access and only be able to use mobile app. So us security conscious/elderly/stuck-in-the-muds can rejoice and keep banking through the web with Krungsri. :)

Of course a stretch, but not impossible. Police officers getting cars through seizure and auctioning: See Joe Ferrari. Inspection and report falsification? See SAO building collapse. They'd have made off with hundreds of millions of baht between them if the quake didn't happen.

For sure, and likely auctioned as they do with vehicles confiscated for other crimes. But one could imagine it would be very easy for someone to follow the car through the system and make sure it goes for the 'right price' when the time comes. Breathalyzer readings in the other direction make it through courts all the time, at least in the USA. Usually for poor calibration certification or some such detail that a well-paid lawyer can sniff out. I imagine a breathalyzer calibration technician making 500 baht a day would happily make the machine look to show more than it should for a 1000 baht note. Crazier things have certainly happened for inspection/calibration of equipment in this country :)

For westerners or 'unconnected' Thais with nice vehicles, this would be really scary. Crooked cop at a checkpoint likes your car. Makes paperwork that says you were drunk, takes your car. What are you going to do about it? Get a lawyer? Better have a lot of time and deep pockets.

It's 10 Billion Baht. Teflon Tony is worth more than 65 Billion Baht.

She may be correct about coming abroad, as my trip was inside Thailand. I've since been to Japan and Sri Lanka, and did a TM30 on return from both. Both trips reset my 90-day report timeline, so I won't find out until end of June if that was really necessary. My TM30 is done online and had no problems submitting both times.

I've lived in Rayong for nearly 12 years. Before late last year I only knew what a TM30 was because of reading about it on AN. Never once was asked for it. I had to do a 90-day report last year in-person and the IO asked if I had traveled in Thailand recently and where was my TM30 for my return to my Rayong address. I had been to Phuket and the hotel had apparently done a TM30 for me there. Of course I didn't have an updated TM30 for Rayong. Very luckily he let me go, but said next time MUST have TM30. He actually made a note on the 90 report receipt so that the next report the IO would see that I had been warned. I've also gotten many Certificates of Residency for cars, condo, licenses boats etc. at Rayong over the years, same thing, never asked for TM30 until last year. So something changed higher up at Rayong last year and they've gotten more strict about this.

Indeed. Kind of a weird resort, very large and open, concrete modern architecture buildings. Too big to feel cozy. Went to a wedding there several years ago, was a pretty good venue for that.

They already expanded U-Tapao just before COVID. Every time I fly from there, It is a ghost town. Extremely convenient IF you can find a flight that goes where you want to go. Very limited schedule these days. The logistics of using this airport, even with the larger terminal, are the stuff of dreams. Never seen more than 2 flights boarding at a time. This Eastern Aviation Hub project is well underway already. Someone's family member got a fat contract to build a parking lot and a huge solar array out in the middle of nowhere 55555. Corruption at its best. https://maps.app.goo.gl/9AqjxUrVLaJaGMMu5

In Japan quite common apparently to have insects as pets. Didn't know this until listening to a Radiolab podcast yesterday. Apparently someone in Japan once paid equivalent of USD$90,000 for a beetle there! https://radiolab.org/podcast/signal-hill-caterpillar-roadshow (No affiliation with Radiolab, just love the show) Don't knock it until you've tried it....? (I still hate cockroaches!)

I go 1-3 times per year for work, usually Shenzhen/Donguang and also Shanghai. Have also been to Qingdao and Qingyuan, a place where I literally didn't see another westerner the whole 3 days I spent there. That was about 5 years ago, though. Recently, I have had trouble making purchases and getting cash with my USA credit card despite warning my bank and them swearing it will work. I have also many times not been able to use cash, so that IS in fact a thing, especially in the last 1 year. Maybe in big, touristy areas it's fine, but I go for work and only briefly visit these types of places. My SCB debit card worked no problem at the checkouts I tried, just make sure to enable 'international transactions' in the SCB app before you go. It does annoy people behind you in lines as scanning with wechat is FAR faster than credit/debit cards. Getting wechat scanning working for foreigners is basically impossible, co-worker has tried for years. My recommendation for internet is use an overseas roaming package. I use AIS, it works just fine. Co-worker from USA uses Verizon, also works. All our normal apps/webpages seem to work through overseas 4/5G connections. Use a VPN for sure if on any wifi connection. Co-worker has wirelessly had credit cards and data/accounts stolen from phone multiple times in past few years. He now uses a 'faraday bag' to store his wallet and phone to prevent hacking when in large public places such as train stations etc. Since starting that he has not been hacked. Can probably find on lazada. I thought it was BS... but apparently they actually work.

I could be wrong, but I'd say very unlikely this bus is actually a Benz. I just quickly looked at photos of at least recent ones, and none of them have a front grill or lights that look like this. I say this because one of the two busses that come to where I work everyday to drop off and pick up laborers is a "Mercedes Benz". Yeah, right. It's a Chinese bus, with the badges changed. Modified and repainted about 3 times in the 11 years I've been here. Maybe I'm wrong, though, have been before. RIP, what a disaster. 😢☹️😓

Evolt Official Line group sent a message out saying some their chargers will be preemptively shut off, and listed provinces where this might happen, and apologized for inconvenience. That is the only one of the 8 (yes EIGHT!) different apps/companies I have on my phone that are available in Thailand that said anything at all to its users, at least that I saw. Luckily I almost never use public chargers.

Quite a lot more money here than in NZ, USA, Canada, UK etc. https://www.one2car.com/en/cars-for-sale/nissan/370z Still nowhere near a "Supercar" or "Luxury". Ricemobile is what they call them where I come from. A Thai friend of ours has one. Was around 1.5 million baht. It is slammed, with ridiculous camber settings, like 30 degrees or so. I don't know how he drives it around on these roads.

Just asked her, she hasn't heard anything else. Like most news stories in Thai news media, this will likely be a 'one-and-done' story, unless one goes to see for themselves.