Nickelbeer

What kind of experience does 10 percent THC provide? Doesn’t sound like it’s going to be “Happy Pizza” quality. ????

I still don’t see any concrete FACTS concerning marijuana and the products made from the plant. I have seen a couple of “cannabis bars” in Bangkok and at least one in Pattaya. If the products being sold contain no THC, then what is actually being sold in these bars? The establishments I have seen, in no way resemble the “Happy Pizza” establishments in Cambodia. Does any member of this forum have a cogent breakdown of the laws? My feeling is that nothing has really changed.

The outrage of the privileged when the tables are turned, is always entertaining. ????

I have the Master’s Degree but fail to see how that would help. Thailand’s bureaucracy never left the year 1860. I happened to remember Max Weber’s classic tome on bureaucracy and decided to refresh my memory. I am fairly sure that those responsible for Thailand’s bureaucrats have never read Weber, but I found myself constantly nodding in agreement at certain salient points. Some organizations really DO exist to add to confusion rather than simplify matters.

The “farang menace” will finally succumb to the mighty will of the glorious Thai people. These evil creatures are planning to SPEND MONEY HERE!!!!!

Using an agent is for the those who can afford it. What kind of a prat wants to jump through bank hoops to prop up the sweetheart deal between financial institutions and corrupt immigration types who make it all possible, At my modest level of income, I certainly could not be described as having more money than sense, My method SAVES me money and avoids the idiotic bank roulette, which was apparently hatched by an idler at an inactive post.

I use an agent and have never been required to show money again in three months, Those requirements are for those "letter of the law" types, who believe that that there is only one way to do things. By all means, keep doing things the old way, you're retired.....what else would you have to do with your time?

The "colonial attitude" is all YOURS. If your friends and family make more than 2000 USD a month, they are well above average. One of my Thai girlfriends had a college education and worked for about 500 USD a month as a buyer for a large department store. Same situation for many college graduates. I fail to see how I am "living in the past" when my experience is current. Also, my initial visa was a NON-IMMIGRANT "O" visa. I am not an "immigrant" illegal or otherwise. All my extensions are granted with the stipulation that I cannot work. I have no problem with that because I do not WANT to work. I came here to retire. It is patently obvious that you merely want to argue and have no interest in backing up what you post with FACTS.

The analogy is flawed. Illegal immigrants that come to the USA, generally are living at the edge of poverty, while expats who come to live in Thailand, make much more than the locals. That money is spent at Thai businesses and keeps many Thais employed. The difference is obvious. There is NO commonality between immigrants in the USA and those who come to Thailand to live.

When the corruption benefits me, I am happy to take advantage of it. I have gotten nothing that others didn't get previously before they changed the rules. The "money in the bank" method is a gigantic ripoff, because you cannot spend the money that is parked in a Thai bank. All my savings were put into an an annuity which pays out until I die. The other income is from Social Security and Alabama State Teacher's Retirement. Not everyone who comes to Thailand has a lump sum that they can allow to sit in a Thai bank drawing a low amount of interest. We live on our income. We begin to spend it the moment it arrives in our bank account in America. The noise being made by some IO functionaries is just window dressing to keep their superiors happy. They have no intention of turning down "tea money", if the farang wants to live in Thailand. That said, the Philippines is looking like the way to go. They don't change their visa regulations much over time and foreigners are welcome rather than a target of suspicion. They even reward you for marrying a local woman, whereas Thailand makes the visa process much more difficult if you are married to a Thai woman. They want constant documentation of your marriage status because they don't keep records like most government agencies in other countries. They don't even seem to understand the concept of a "database". 90 day reports are not required. You only need to file a change of address form if you move.

Ocean Pharmacy on Theppraya Road in Jomtien, carries Testoviron Depot (Bayer) 5 ampules for 950 baht.

Shockingly naive question. I live on my income. It would take me YEARS to save up 800 thousand baht. According to IO, this way IS legal. It is the same stamp I have gotten since I first came here. My passport never leaves the Jomtien office. Some retirees bring huge sums of liquid cash with them when they retire. All I have is my monthly income which was fine until they stopped issuing statutory declarations of income at the American Embassy. The attitude of many on this forum seems to be "Don't come here to retire unless you have a large sum of money to park in a dodgy bank." Sheer elitism.

The discussion about the validity of the visa is confusing to me. My rental agent also does my visa renewals each year for 14 thousand baht. The first couple of times she drove me to Immigration in Jomtien where she got a big welcome from officers. They took my passport and my bank book (even though there was only a thousand baht in the account). I got the passport back with a Jomtien stamp in it. It was not sent outside Jomtien to another office, nor was there any deposit into my account. It's obviously strictly a "brown envelope" type of transaction and there is no possibility of the stamp being "Fake" or "dirty" or any other description. I wouldn't want to do things any other way. I can't park 800 thousand baht in a Thai bank account. I draw over 80 thousand baht a month from three pension sources and that seems to suffice. The continued insistence that these transactions are, somehow< "invalid", seems to ignore the usual Thai way of doing things.

It would be nice to see more children wearing helmets on motorcycles. Some of these kids have no hope if they crash.

And I had the silly idea that religion here was removed from politics.

I hear the "laab" at BangKwang is excellent.

I thought they were forbidden to carry money? What gives?? Do they allow them to drink in the monastary?

Thais LAUGH at our principles. A lie easily trumps the truth in Thailand.

Of course it is. Never refuse an offer of help. Too many have died already. A vaccinated public can make this pandemic a bad memory instead of an ongoing crisis.

Does the PM imagine that he has any authority over the clergy? I thought they had their own hierarchy.

Because they CAN!!!

Hope you're right. I depend on the "brown envelope method" to get my yearly extensions.

Your analysis of the situation is spot on, however, this is Thailand where logic and common sense fly right out the window. By rights, the Allies should have OWNED Thailand after World War Two because they were part of the Axis forces. Seldom have enemy collaborators been given such a sweet deal. Pay the extra price and chalk it up to peace and harmony. You can't win when arguing with these people. They lack the capacity for understanding anything but their own innate prejudice.

I went to DTAC with my girlfriend who speaks very limited English. She was no help at all (except to the saleslady). I ended up paying about 600 baht a month for a plan which seems to run out before the end of the month. I am aware that I can probably get a better deal, but I have been too lazy to go through the process of getting new plan. DTAC and AIS routinely depend on the ignorance of people like me in order to overcharge for inferior service. I was happy with the old system of buying extra minutes from DTAC at Seven-Eleven, but for some reason they ended that option. A deliberately confusing system designed to separate you from your cash.

I use an agent to circumvent all the preposterous requirements. It costs me about 14 thousand baht every year to get my extension of stay based on retirement. My landlady is my agent and takes care of everything.