prakhonchai nick

UPDATE

1) Car Aircon.

Whilst deliberating upon my next move re the air con, I suffered a loss of engine power and took the car to the local garage for new spark plugs. problem solved. But when they tested the car the boss commented on the unsatisfactory aircon. He produced all the parts necessary to repair it, and did it there and then. Total cost 2000bt as against Toyota's 5200bt for parts + labour + tax.. Now working perfectly - as new.

2) IPSTAR

Despite saying I had no problem, the engineer arrived Monday - unannounced- and checked the thing over. Even though he could open only 1 web site he nevertheless stated once again "No problem" However, for a temporary period (not sure how long) I have been upgraded to 500+mps. Download speed still very low, but at least web sites are opening.

So to all the naysayers I would say it does pay to complain, and also to shop around.

Can anyone tell me how this type of behaviour shows respect for the deceased?

.

I accept your point of view but disagree. I believe there are 'scrounger' that surface at funerals in EVERY country, but I have never experienced the Drunken-ness,Fighting,Verbal abuse and general Damage as seen between families in the UK and thats assuming ANYONE turns up. This is only my personal experience I am sorry to say BTW.

Dave

I have witnessed much of what Misterbonk described in my village, although I am pleased to say that overnight gambling seems to have largely abated. The binge drinking however has not!

I have attended a few funerals in the UK, and have never witnessed anything as described by Dave the Dude. They are always very sombre affairs, with friends and work colleagues disappearing after the funeral, and the family retreating to one of their homes for tea and cakes.

I take no part in the spectacle of eating drinking and merrymaking that accompanies a Thai death, but if it is someone known to me, I pay my final respects as I would have done in the UK, by attending the cremation at the Wat.

It was a large sum just under $200,000. In the fear of either the girl possibly looking to go and work or getting cornered into total support for the family as well as outed from the family for life I agreed to give the money to the family to pay off the debt but in doing so, counting it as the 'dowry' or 'sin sod' and they agreed.

That's close on 7 million baht!. Some dowry! For that you should have got all the sisters and nieces too!

The word is that Aiden is back from wherever and Paddy's should re-open tomorrow (today really as after midnight), Monday evening.

I've heard all kinds of stories about this and that but I've spent some time there over the last few months and it was obvious there were issues over cashflow or financing. Hopefully he has been able to sort these out whilst he has been away.

Now the first thing he has to do is recruit some staff, starting with a chef.

He does have aircon but aircon eats money and if there are no punters then ........ Lots spent I think but not wisely. don't think he will survive and it will eventually close.

If he is reopening, and recruits a chef as you suggest, then to ensure the chef actually has something to do, he needs to revamp his menu and sell basically "pub grub" at realistic prices. 99bt for a bowl of cornflakes was just a bad joke!

Some people take the money, and vote how they want to, but that is not usually the case in some villages. The money is handed out (usually by just one party) and has a veiled threat. Basically villagers are told that if they do not vote for the candidate that has paid them, they will be ineligible to vote in future and will not be able to take a loan from the village fund.

Now of course we know that is not true, but the mainly uneducated villagers will believe anything they are told by someone they perceive as being "higher" than them!

As it is no secret that votes are bought, and I and probably most foreigners living in the villages could prove that money is changing hands, I fail to understand why the election watchdog and their teams, (no doubt highly paid) rarely come up with a prosecution. Whether or not every voter in Isaan receives money, it is a virtual certainty that every winning candidate handed out money, and as such should be disqualified.

Regarding CrapStar...

I went down the complain to TOT route early this year. Waste of time.

My advice is to save yourself the stress and accept CrapStar as it is and get on with life, or if you can, change to a different provider.

Totster

I think your advice is correct. Thanks Am currently looking into EDGE as an alternative, but reports from users vary widely. Will persevere with CrapStar for the time being

Back in February I had an aircon problem I thought with my Toyota pickup. There was water on the passenger side mat coming from under the dash when I went around corners so it appears to be some kind of aircon leak. I went to the new Toyota garage in Ubon off the chayangkul rd and they re-gassed the aircon for me at no charge. Never had a problem since. If I had taken the car to a back street garage they would have found work for themselves by makiing a problem out of nothing in order to squeeze some baht out of me. I was pleasently suprised with the Toyota dealership and their atttitude to looking after customers. The point is that it is false economy to think sometimes that the smaller guy with a breakers yard up an alley or mechanic shop off the street is any cheaper than the main dealer. For me it was a lesson learned as the same happened with my father-in-law's Nissan when they re-charged his aircon after a service and decided to throw that in for nothing. The main dealerships are very helpful and have well trained staff but most think they are too expensive to use for minor mechanical problems or repairs.

You make a valid point re going to Toyota. I went to the Buriram Toyota outlet for a brake check and the air con problems. Ended up with new brake pads, and a list of the aircon problems. I did not request a car valet wash and wax, but they did that and charged me for it!

What I wanted to do was get the same air con work done by a small trader, using the same parts, at a hopefully considerably cheaper price.

But lo and behold, instead of looking for work they repeatedly told me there was nothing wrong with the air con. Now I must decide what to do next.

I am completely green about EDGE, but like others am completely fed up with Crapster!

Please advise me.

Do I need a special mobile - (I only have a basic mobile telephone at the moment - no extras) -or can I use one of the special cards I have seen on the adverts.

Do AIS and DTAC act as the server, or is this something extra.

Basically looking for an idiots guide to setting up EDGE.

Any help much appreciated

My wife accepts all money on offer, whether it be local elections or general elections. And 2 weeks ago, 4 candidates all gave cash!

She votes for the person/party who will provide help for the village/area,(regardless of whether they paid or not) or whose party actually has a manifesto, and donates ALL the money to the AIDS Hospice in Lopburi.

On another thread on this forum I asked for info on car air conditioner repairers. Today I went to Buriram to a workshop kindly recommended by a contributor.

The air con system was checked over and declared to be 100%. It was not, and I said so. After half hour it was no longer cold, and not particularly cold anytime. But NO I was wrong. It was 100% OK.

I had previously taken it to Toyota, and they had given me an expensive estimate of replacement parts necessary. But today - NO it was 100% OK, and no work was required. Now how can you argue with a so called air con expert?

Then arrived home and decided to tackle the TOT IPSTAR people in Buriram who supply my Broadband connection. From 8am to 6pm every weekday it is virtually impossible to get any website to open. Other times it is perfect. Perhaps the system is overloaded, or maybe the dish is out of alignment. So my daughter rang them, and explained fully the problem. Response. That is not a problem. We can only check when you have a problem! And besides we don't have any engineers!

So today I have 2 problems. And both are not problems, or so the so called experts say!

Just hope the wife doesn't decide to make it 3. But then they never make problems - it is always us farangs that make them!

What crazy people.

I think you will find that P'lok is not in Isaan but you will find details in the Central Thailand Forum

There is a place in Surin, about 100 meters beyond the main Chevrolet dealer as you come into town from Prasat. Nothing to look at from the outside but recommended to me by some local Thais. I once took someone to this place to get his air-con repaired / working again and the quote was under 10K using original parts. They are happy to look at your air-con and give an estimate before they start work. Hope this helps.

Thanks. Will take a look next week. But at around 10K, perhaps Toyota's quote was not so high after all.

Have been quoted a very high price to repair the air conditioner in my Toyota Soluna by the Toyota workshop. Can anyone recommend any independent repair shops/air con specialists in the above towns.

Thanks

Is the Irish Bar still open for Business?

Last night I drove my wife and some family members to Buriram for a very enjoyable concert at the large "Country" night club near Speed Disco. To see the real and complete "Carabao" band was a real treat for the family. 2000 baht for a table of 4 with a decent size bottle of unopened Johnny Walker Red and the first "set up" of ice and mixers what a reasonable price for TOP live entertainment. I was told they often have fights, but to not be concerned. The ONLY fight and pause in the musical entertainment was caused 100% by a short drunken Farang with a shaved head in a blue "T" shirt. The Thai patrons were very tolerant of his aggressive actions until he attached a peaceful Thai man. One of the main 3 guitar player/vocalists with Carabao made a timely comment about "Farang Brother in Law" which caused great laughter in the audience. Good timing on that professional entertainers part.

Anyhow I knew the band would not go on until midnight, but the family wanted to see the opening band and eat a ton of food inside the club. I drove past the Irish Bar at 8:40p.m. Wednesday night and it was closed with no lights on. That scuttled my plans to go to that establishment.

Is the Irish Bar still open for business and if so do they have "regular" operating hours?

What a pity this was not publicised on either Thai Visa or the local Buriram forum. The Add Carabao band and music is far more acceptable, and enjoyable to farangs than the boring and monotonous Morlam singsongs. Even the dancing girls lose their attraction when you can see them 3/4 times a month

Hopefully future upcoming events can be posted on TV so as us rural folk have an opportunity of participating.

My info is that the Buriram Irish bar is now closed indefinitely.

The Shamrock Pub in Prakhonchai is alive and well!

The father (your fil) would need to apply for the babies british nationality, the non British parent is not required to sign anything.

That was not true in my case. The mother had to sign paternity papers as well as me. She had to confirm that I was the father.

Take care of the Shell station on Pattaya Tai road.

They do not set the meter after filling up a motorbike, so you get less than shown on the meter.

<Make sure they reset the meter before starting to fill your tank

With an English father, would the child then have the right to apply for British passport or residency - if they wanted?

The child being born in Thailand to a Thai mother will automatically have Thai nationality. The parents can then request a British birth certificate and UK passport from the British embassy. It is the child's right.

Dual nationality is acceptable to both Thailand and the UK. Some people will say that one nationality must be revoked at age 18. This is not true.

If a male child he will be liable to Thai conscription at around age 18/20.

In the event of a loan default, the assistance of a lawyer might prove helpful.

Okay my wife has the chanote of a loan defaulter. How does she have her name put on the chanote ? Thanks

As I said above the assistance of a lawyer might prove helpful

However it might be worthwhile discussing it initially with the village headman or at the amphur office.

This is one of my basic gripes with living in Isaan....... the gossip never stops..... but it is all just gossip.

I hear stories about this farang and that farang, I hear stories about me...... and that is all they are.... stories.

Agree, there is so much gossip here in Isaan but generally I find there is no smoke without fire. It's just that with so many old dears sitting around with time on their hands

Fortunately in my 7+ years in Isaan I am not aware of any untoward stories about me (or at least the wife hasn't heard any!), but previously in Pattaya the stories were rife. Girlfriends, mia-nois, even seen on more than one occasion pushing a pram, yet there was never an ounce of truth in any of them.

I still have questions about a farang mortgage on a chanote. So, you loan money, have the chanote and have your name on the back of the chanote as holding a mortgage. Now the person you loaned the money to defaults. Where do you go from there? You can't get the chanote in your name. Even IF you can get your name on the back of the chanote, what good will it do you?

As I understand it , in the event of a default, you have the right to take the land, and can then either transfer it to a Thai (wife? ) or sell it. When a farang inherits land, whilst he is not permitted to keep it, I believe the authorities give him 1 year to dispose of it. If you have shown a mortgage on the land when your wife buys it with your money, then in the event of a divorce, she cannot sell the land without your signature, and regardless of the amount of the mortgage, a farang is legally entitled to 50% of the proceeds. Been there- done it!

In the event of a loan default, the assistance of a lawyer might prove helpful.

Not neccessary true. I have someones Chinote but a Thai lawyer tells me it's worth nothing without a loan contract. Some times known as a Khai Fark agreeement. You may have the Chinote but that's it. He can still live and farm the land but can't sell it or take a loan out on it. Where as you can't claim it without a contract.

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That's true. A chanote as security for any loan is no good without a loan contract. In the case I outlined, the Land Office will add your name to the chanote as mortgagor, but you must have a legal mortgage(loan) contract.

Thanks Thaddeus for the additional info, Wasn't aware the debt could be sold on. Useful to now.

Obviously neither him nor you know that you CANNOT own land here in Thailand. Why would you think he could have his name on the deed?

Whilst a foreigner cannot own land in Thailand it is possible to have your name of the land title (chanote). I did, and it gave me much security.

If you lend money for the purchase (or bailing out ) of the land, you can be the mortgagor, and have your name shown as such on the chanote. Also since you have advanced money on the land, you are entitled to hang on to the chanote in the same way a bank would do.

It cannot be sold until you sign that you have received your loan back. You are then in the driving seat!

Mate of mine's in a similar situation, 62 and new baby. Looked into the widow's pension etc, apparently they've changed the rules fairly recently. First he'd have to go back to England with wife & baby, live off his private pension for 6months, then apply for all the usual through the benefits system, few more months waiting for replies. BS postal address, preferably family so mail could be forwarded, as if they catch you out of the country for longer than 6months all claims declared null & void. Decided just 6months breadline living back there would break him and therefore unfeasable.

You are not correct Milo.

If the new family want child tax credits, child benefit, unemployment benefit and sickness benefit YES they must go to the UK and stay in the UK

But if they are content to stay in Thailand, then a British male is entitled to the state pension at 65 (currently) if he has made enough National Insurance contributions. If/when he should die, his LEGAL Thai wife will receive Widowed Mothers allowance on behalf of her child and as and when she reaches UK state retirement age (sometime between age 60 and 68 depending upon her present age) she can claim a UK state pension in her own right based on her husbands NI contributions.

There is no necessity for either the wife or the child/children to ever set foot in the UK

The only thing to bear in mind is that at the present time, pension and Widowed Mothers allowance once paid out are frozen at that rate. this may change later once the European Court of Human rights consider the matter

I have Thai residency. Had it for more than 17 years. Was easy to get then. But I would ask you why you want it? Apart from not having to obtain visa renewals (probably annually and within Thailand if you are married or will be), and not reporting your home address every 90 days (not a hardship since this can be done by post), there are basically no benefits.

And at around 100,000bt + all the extras is it worth it.

I originally obtained it since there were strong rumours that the then 500bt annual visa renewal fee would be drastically increased. This never happened, and visa renewal fees have increased in line with inflation.

I would not go through all the hassle again.

Doesn't even guarantee Thai prices to national parks zoos etc. A Thai driving licence at 100bt will do just as well!

Nellie

Your main concern seems to be for the child if and when father in law dies.

If he is legally married (at the Thai amphur) then the British government will pay the wife Widowed Parents allowance till the child is at least 16. The amount is quite significant for Thailand. (around £400 a month) Furthermore maybe father in law has a pension from his former employer in the UK, and they too might pay a widows pension.

Worth investigating.