prakhonchai nick

Learningcurve has given a clear and concise summary.

Sorry, but he hasn't and neither have you.

Learningcurve may have been correct last year, but he is not correct now. We cannot both be correct!!

She will probably still be enitled to a bereavement allowance if she is over 45 (the amount varies depending on her husband's NI contributions, but is a maximum of £29.30 to £97.65 per week for 52 weeks depending on age) but for this she now needs NI Number which she can apply for at the same time as she applies for the allowance. A lump sum will only be paid if the overall amount is low (if her husband's NI contributions were incomplete).

She is not entitled to any state pension until she herself reaches pensionable age. None. Not under any circumstances. Nada. End of story.

She is not entitled to Widowed Parents Allowance unless she is already receiving Child Benefit, which is only paid to those living in the UK or the EEA (except under limited circumstances for those working overseas temporarily, in the Armed Forces, etc, which do not apply here).

Sorry John, but you are not entirely correct.

A widow, 45 or over (WITHOUT CHILDREN for whom she could claim Widowed Parents Allowance) can claim the bereavement allowance which is payable for just 1 year, at varying rates depending on her age and her husbands NI contributions. After 1 year she must wait till she has reached state pension age before she receives more money.

If the widow has children under 20, and in secondary education (this does NOT include university) then she claims Widowed Parents Allowance and NOT Bereavement allowance. WPA is a maximum of £97.65 a week once again dependent on the number of NI payments made by the husband. NOTE, that whilst only 30 NI contributions are required from 6th April this year for full state pension, bereavement allowances still require the man to have made 44 contributions for full benefit.

Although the rules do show that the widow must have been in receipt of Child Benefit this seemingly does not apply to overseas wives. Your last paragraph is therefore TOTALLY INCORRECT. I can advise that having just assisted a Thai widow in claiming bereavement benefits, she is in receipt of WPA for her daughter for whom she NEVER received child benefit. I have queried this aspect before and have a letter confirming that WPA is payable for wives in Thailand who have never had child benefit.

And finally, as you say, neither the widow, nor any other entitled person can claim state pension until they reach state pension age.

Learningcurve has given a clear and concise summary. However the payment of a pension from age 45, is only for 1 year following death. She must then wait for more until she reaches state retirement age for women -currently 60 but increasing to 66 over time

A widow may be eligible for widowed parents allowance of up to £97 a week, based on the husbands NI contributions, if she has a child/children under 20 and still in secondary education. The children do not need to be the husbands! So long as she was legally married she can claim.

As Cardholder states a cheque sent to her in Thailand will cause problems. Either payment to a 3rd party to a UK bank, or a direct transfer to a Thai bank (although the baht conversion is done in the UK and the rate might not be very favourable.

Correct bill, but since your wife applied the regulations have changed considerably and from April this year a spouse can only apply for a UKNI number either if they are in the UK and intend working (when they can be issued to anyone working, regardless of nationality) or after their spouse who has paid NI contributions has died and they are applying for bereavement benefit or once they reach pensionable age and they are applying for a partial NI pension (not once you reach pensionable age, as had been the case before when you applied)

In this case although she is probably not yet eligible for the state pension she will (as long as he made some NI contributions) be eligible for either a bereavement grant or a bereavement pension for two years, so she can get a NI number on these grounds; she cannot get a NI number for a private pension, so she must apply for the bereavement benefit in order to get one.

Telephone 44 191 203 7010 monday to friday, 9 -5 UK time, for advice,

This info is correct.

A NI number may be granted to a Thai citizen who wants to work in the UK ONLY if they make the application in the UK in person.

A NI number will only be granted in other circumstances when it is needed such as for the payment of bereavement benefits or pensions. I believe this has always been the case

I can see no reason why a Thai citizen would want a NI number for any other reason (except in the case of the OP for tax purposes)

What happened to the Op of this thread macb? Does anyone know?

Last Active: 2009-12-05 11:23 yes it's been a while since his lat post, maybe he's still very busy as he wrote, training dogs? no idea, however if i will ever die for any reasons, i will make sure i am going to post about it first i hope he's well....

Hi

Not sure why he has not posted recently, but he did leave the area and I believe went to North of Thailand after having marital difficulties.

TBWG

He sometimes posts on the Central Thailand Forum

No doubt they will get off very lightly, as seems to be the way of things in Thailand.. Punishment rarely fits the crime!

Are you talking from personal experience? What crime did you commit in Thailand and what insufficient punishment did you get?

Not sure I appreciate your comments!

My personal experience has been gained from reading the newspapers and from what I have observed in Isaan villages. Bail is given out freely, allowing many criminals to leave the country. Those that do receive jail sentences are invariably out on the loose again within a few months, (instead of the years their crime deserved) and it comes to light when they are in court once again for a new offence.

What a way to start life in your twenties?

Have they actually tried and failed at something legit before this?

Or they could just be on commission just for withdrawing the cash, now left cold holding the baby, while the repeat offenders are on their yacht somewhere on the Indian ocean.

No doubt they will get off very lightly, as seems to be the way of things in Thailand.. Punishment rarely fits the crime!

Even though it's the rainy season, Coffee Corner has some well priced "Summer Specials"

If and when the shooter is caught, a 20 year prison sentence would not be too harsh. The girl could have been killed.

The trouble with Thai law is that sentences are too lenient, that there is no incentive for criminals to go straight.

Just look at the Pattaya press over the past few years. Many crimes committed by yobs released recently from prison after serving just a few months for armed robbery and similar.

Lock 'em up for a long time!

The Cambodian concert is the last of an extensive World Tour.

I just hope, that at 76, he will still be able to put on a worthwhile performance.

27-Nov-10 Phnom Penh Cambodia

All proceeds from this concert will benefit the Cambodian Red Cross and Cambodian persons with a disability Just hope there are enough concert-goers at the exhorbitant prices to really benefit the Cambodian red Cross.

Can anyone recommend any reasonably priced "guest friendly" hotels in Siem reap close to the centre

No trafficking of Thai women goes on without the assistance of "the untouchables". be they Police officers, Army generals, Politicians or whoever. They can and do get away with it. Thailand is sadly as corrupt if not more so than when I first arrived more than 20 years ago.

Punishment should be made to fit the crime, and NOBODY should be exempt. In the UK even the Royals are occasionally brought to book for motoring offences.

Human trafficking is basically a death sentence, since unless the women can escape they are in real danger of contracting AIDS. As such those that are involved in trafficking should themselves receive a death sentence NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE

is there anything to stop a UK pensioner investing in a ticket and an address in Spain or some other reciprocal locale and then fly on to LOS.....PO box and or UK bank accountant....??? By the time you try to beat/change the system you may be a puff off oily smoke or worm food....

Technically NO....but there will come a time when your passport needs renewal. and since most government computers are interlinked, it would only be a matter of time before they caught up with you.

For the small amount of extra money is it worth continually looking over your shoulder as you become progressively older?

Why can't the dealers have a stock of numbers/number plates. which can be issued at the same time that a vehicle is bought. This is the way in happens in the UK. No delay.

Production of the registration book might take a bit longer, but at least the vehicle ha a number and can be traced in the event of an accident; hit and run etc.

That being the case, it doesn't sound very fair.

Thank you Mr Cardholder for what appears to be your sympathy.

Have to grin and bear it.

TIT

I believe the re-entry permit is considered an endorsement to your PR book.

NO. I have an endorsement in my PR Book, which is valid for 1 year irrespective of the number of times I leave Thailand. This costs 1900bt. But my passport also needs a Re-Entry stamp and this costs 900bt more than other foreigners, although the stamp is identical, and requires no more processing -just a different application form.

As a Permanent Resident I recently went to Immigration to have my Residency booklet endorsed and for a re-entry permit in my passport.

Whilst application for a re-entry permit for most foreigners is on Form TM8, and costs 1000bt for a single entry, I was required to fill in Form TM 13 (Application for Endorsement of Re-Entry Permit) and the stamp cost me 1900bt. Since I did not previously have a Re-Entry Permit, how can it be endorsed?

Can anyone provide an answer to this, especially as in a couple of months I will need another Re-Entry permit.

More relevantly, if he was guilty, he no longer has to return to Thailand as he promised to do.

I'd rather have £395 a month here than £198 a week (only if married) in the UK. Goes much further here even if that's not very far.

Had Thaibeachlovers been married, he could have claimed a dependents allowance of around £240 a month on top of his basic pension. What a difference that would have made! Alas too late to claim now, even if he should consider marrying his g/f

Just paid my daily visit to a UK vets and serving military website, it seems the feelings are running pretty high about expats, not only do the public over there think expats pensions should be reduced but also the right to vote taken away as well, there are supposed to be all types of reduction plans in the pipeline, maybe if part of the population tried working for a living instead of just whinging about immigrants and expats ,things might look a bit rosier :jap:

It's both sad and amazing that ex-pats have now been grouped with immigrants, have to say I'm very worried about the mental health of my non-expat countrymen!

When the UK vets and current serving military decide to relocate overseas themselves in years to come they will likely sing a different tune.

It will eventually be necessary to become an expat if you want other Brits to talk to!!! :ph34r:

Gambling is illegal, and a recent thread started by Cardholder was closed for this very reason.

Feeding elephants on Bangkok streets is also illegal, so will the mods close this thread too?

If ALL expats were treated the same (i.e. all pensions were frozen) there would not be so much to complain about. But why should some receive increases (?Phillipines?) and others -predominantly Commonwealth countries -not.

Penkoprod would be an asset to HM British government. Perhaps he is on their books and is paid to infiltrate this forum and brainwash us all!

OK, let me try it THIS way

Can you not see that, by what you say, and the thinking behind it, you are contributing to the REASON why expat pensioners will always face impossible odds in trying to get anywhere?? And never get that "sense of fairness" shown to them that some on here seem to crave, and feel they're being treated unfairly. Like i and others keep pointing out, life itself throws up more and more important, and worse instances of unfairness than whats happening to people who knew the rules before they made their move, but chose to ignore them.

By the very nature of what you say, and the thought behind it (if i cant have it, then no one should is whats screaming out in the very 1st sentence of your post) all it serves to do is get the British publics backs up.

You miss the point completely.

The governments of all shades do and have done exactly what they want. They should treat EVERYONE equally. Either pay increases to ALL expats, or freeze the pensions of ALL non-residents. Giving those in the EC (including former communist countries), plus other selected countries but freezing others is totally unfair - reciprocal agreements or not. But you seem to think it is perfectly acceptable, so lets just allow the matter to rest because it ain't going to change.

<snip>

And that's PRECISELY what the OP ( and every man-Jack of us, for that matter) get at SPA (State Retirement Age)

Made up of various componants:

The Index Linked Increase is based on residency. Some are age related

Penkoprod

If ALL expats were treated the same (i.e. all pensions were frozen) there would not be so much to complain about. But why should some receive increases (?Phillipines?) and others -predominantly Commonwealth countries -not.

Penkoprod would be an asset to HM British government. Perhaps he is on their books and is paid to infiltrate this forum and brainwash us all!

Indeed! You said it!

Exhibit 1: This topic is still a load of crap.

Exhibit 2: I am planning to take (the) Mrs. to the UK for a 2 week holiday in 2011... She has not been before... looking for ideas

(GenTop ThaiTravel)

The gent doesn't seem to know much about his own country let alone someone else's...[/size]

How do you know that persons circumstances, he may not have been to the UK for decades and what has that got to do with your interesting thread?

Unimpressed of Surin

As I read Cardholders post, he was looking for ideas that might please his wife. Clearly he was anticipating responses from those who had taken their wives to the UK. His own current knowledge of the UK is irrelevant! Your comment was out of place and I reserve judgement on the thread as a whole!

This thread is clearly out of place here in the Isaan/Thailand thread, and since Jazzbo is now taking matters to a personal unpleasant level in his last 2 posts I would ask the mods to close it now.